Volume Two Home Coming
by xxhanzyxx
Summary: After his sudden departure from Gotham, Nightwing finds himself in Bludahaven, ‘Gotham’s dirty little sister’, but can he even call this place home? And all is put on hold after a devistating event forces him back home
1. Chapter 1

Home coming

_By_

_Xxhanzyxx_

**Will Nightwing be able to help others before helping himself?**

_The second instalment based after __**Old wounds. **_

_After his sudden departure from Gotham, Nightwing finds himself in Bludahaven, 'Gotham's dirty little sister', but can he even call this place his home?_

_Nightwing, yet in turmoil after his break-up with Barbara and his relationship with Bruce in more disrepair, he continues his vigilante mission cleaning up the streets more brutally than before, yet fearing that he is slowly becoming the one man that he has been fighting against for long, he wonders if being a vigilante is the only way of helping people?_

_But all is put on hold as a devastating event forces him back to Gotham!…_

_I am not basing this story on either the comic, film or animation and am not protesting that what I am saying is correct because I am not, this is just how I would have done things if I had my dream job so don't sue!!!_

_Now onto the story… enjoy…_

**Home coming**

**Chapter One**

"And in other news, after the breakout by the Joker, the crime in Gotham has increased by over seventy percent" The TV reporter announces in the background of the large lounge.

"Still no sigh of the Joker then Master Bruce" Alfred sighs as he enters the pitch-black room to where Bruce Wayne is sat

"As soon as I get to any of the crime scenes, he has already vanished, he leaves no calling card… nothing" Bruce's deep voice enters from the darkness of the room

"Quite peculiar I'd say"

"For the Joker very"

"Maybe he is not as insane as we once thought"

"I doubt that Alfred… Will you call Barbara for me, see if she can find anything about his whereabouts "

"Certainly Sir, shall I tell her that you will be working"

"Tell her she can contact me on the COM" Bruce replies half heartedly, he hates getting anyone else bar himself involved with the Joker as he knows all too well what he is capable of doing

"Very well" He nods politely and continues with his day to day jobs

Bruce enters the cave through a small doorway behind the old grandfather clock and walks down the cold stone steps to where the infamous Bat mobile proudly awaits and the many different Bat suits aligned neatly next to each other, it is also where the large glass memorial case stands with the Robin suit assigned to Jason Todd in.

Batman sits down at the Bat computer and looks at the large Gotham map on the screen, he looks down the side of the screen to see the whereabouts of Barbara who has just come online and also looks at the emblem of Nightwing which is still immobilized. Bruce pauses for a moment pondering over what happened between him and Nightwing before the intercom turns on.

"Batman are you there?"

"Yes, what have you found?"

"Just what you're looking for, two ice crème lorries pulled up to the Northern Bank, I don't think they'll be selling any ice crème at twelve at night"

"I'm on my way"

"Do you need me?"

"I'll call you"

"You could just say no" Barbara mutters to herself as Batman's face disappears off the screen and logs off.

"Never mind, I can do some finding for my self," She says to herself as she takes hold of her Batgirl suit

Taking hold of her firing gun, Batgirl aims it out of her apartment window and drops five stories before swinging back up and through Gotham.

When she finally reaches her destination she hides behind the roof top wall and peers through the window of an apartment in the next block, she waits there for a moment or two as still and quiet as the buildings themselves, seeing no activity she fires her grapple gun to the opposite block and lands silently on the roof. She then quickly gets to the edge of the building and absales down the side and through a partly opened window. Once inside she quietly moves around the room, adjusting her eyes to the dark and unfamiliar surroundings. She thoroughly looks around the bedroom before silently opening the door and moving into a large lounge area, she again carefully searches the room and notices a file on the coffee table, which she picks up, and silently flips the pages open.

Barbara felt an uncomfortable feeling of being watched, something she brushed off as being paranoid from knowing that she shouldn't be there, she continues to wearily flip the pages, stopping every so often to check over her shoulder, finding nothing of any interest, she decides to continue her search through the apartment, but before she had chance to place the file back in its place she was suddenly overpowered as her arms were held behind her, throwing the file in the air and its contents across the floor. She yelps in suprisement and terror, as she couldn't break free from the grasp.

"You know you could just knock" The voice casually replies from behind her but Batgirl ignores the remark as she finds her opportunity to break free, releasing herself from the grip she drops to floor and balancing herself on one hand, she sweeps his feet from underneath him, he goes over backwards, but before any part of him could touch the floor, he turns his fall into a back flip and lands in a crouch behind her. He immediately pounces on her, pinning her to the ground.

"That wasn't a nice way to greet me, after all it was you who broke into my house" He sarcastically remarks, something that aggravate Barbara, she then realised that something's never changed

Batgirl knew that she could not get out of his grip, every time she struggled, he would apply more pressure, so much to her frustration she begins to relax and accept defeat, as he felt her tense muscles beginning to loosens, he began to relax his hold on her.

"I…. I didn't think you were in" she replied as she gets up off the ground and wipes down her suit embarrassingly blushing by her defeat.

"So that gave you the right to come here does it… Batgirl," He impatiently questions her as he stared at the masked woman in his home

"I didn't know what I was thinking, I'm sorry" She grumbles

"I suppose Batman sent you to check on me is that it?" He irritably asks

"No… he doesn't even know I'm here… you wont tell him will you?" She pleads with him

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that will you, besides what's with the costume, I haven't seen you for months and you come dressed as Batgirl!" dissatisfied by the cape and cowl which brings his blood to the boil

"I didn't think it was suitable for Barbara to go abseiling down the sides of buildings, do you?"

"Not really, but then again that's why man invented doors"

Barbara awkwardly laughs, unsure on whether laughing at this point was a bad idea. But it must have been as she looks to meet these beautiful steel blue eyes unemotionally looking at her.

"You didn't answer my question?" His voice becoming all the more impatient.

Barbara stands hesitantly for a moment and appreciates the effect this man has on her when she is with him, effects that until now she had forgot and missed

"Its… just that well you have been gone a long time that's all"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Ten

When Dick arrives home, the first thing he always does is put the Nightwing costume away in the space behind the large oriental picture along the one side of his lounge wall, if there's one thing that Batman has taught him and he respects is always make sure you're identity goes unknown, hence why he left his mask on whilst with Huntress, it wasn't that he didn't want her to find out who he was really, he just knows that it wouldn't only be him giving up his identity, it would be Bruce's and Barbara's as well and he knows how much they both have to lose and he would never want anything bad to happen to Barbara. So he puts the costume away and heads towards the bathroom to take a shower before noticing the memo board on the wall which is barely full as he has a good memory… unless he though he did before spotting the bold letter 'COP TEST 12:00,' with everything else going on in his life he had completely forgotten that he was meant to be sitting his test to try and get into police academy, he has already had his fitness reports and health check done and all he has to do is past this test and he would have a place.

Dick hadn't told anyone that he had been thinking about joining the force, he was definitely not going to tell Bruce even if they were on speaking terms, although Bruce supports the police, he doubts that he would be all that pleased that a vigilante was joining and could cause a possible threat to his activities as Batman but Dick knows that this could be a reliable source of information to Nightwing, as Officer Grayson could get access into the police files and background knowledge that Nightwing couldn't and he also hopes that he can help, he knows that crimes doesn't just happen at night in Bludahaven and so by joining the force he would be able to help stop crime without worrying about being chased or shot at by the SWAT team or anything else Flash decides to tag onto him, he also hopes to get a little of the gratification he deserves just by being Dick Grayson… police officer.

Looking at the time 11:42, he quickly pack a large duffle bag with clean clothes and makes a u-turn back out of his apartment and down the stairwells and onto the street towards police head quarters.

"I'm… I'm here for the entry test," Dick pants as he enters the reception

"Name" The pretty blonde says from behind the desk

"Grayson, Richard"

"Well take a seat over there sir and Sergeant Mathews will call for you shortly, might give you chance to get you're breath back" She smiles at him flirtatiously, Dick smiles back but reminds himself that he is already in such a mess right now with Barbara and now Huntress he doesn't need to add a Blonde cop to the list as well.

"Richard Grayson" A loud voice comes form inside the room behind him

"Sir" Dick enters the room and closes the door behind him, he glances at the many photos of old police academy classes scattered on the walls before looking at the centre of the room to see a small desk and chair opposite a larger desk where Sergeant Mathews sat.

"Take a seat and fill in the front page, you have an hour to complete this test and you will need an hour to complete this test and stand a good chance of passing" His voice matched him perfectly, he was a large man, height and build with a large dark moustache, which compensated for the thinning hair.

"Yes Sir" Dick sits at the desk and begins the test, he was right, the test was hard and it would have taken most of the applicants an hour to stand a good chance at passing, but with what Dick knew about Law enforcements and having Commissioner Gordon as a close friend to Dick and Nightwing, it barely took him half that time but he felt it would be a good idea to sit there for the whole hour, it wouldn't be a good start being know as Mr know it all.

He was relieved when Sergeant Mathews called time, it has been years since Dick had been in school and he didn't like them much then. When he was with the circus he was home schooled a little, most of his time then he was being taught how to walk on the tight ropes and how to catch the bars in mid air, he never thought he needed an education, that circus life was all he was going to need, but of course that all changed when his parents died and Bruce took custody of him, with Bruce, knowledge and a good education was everything, that was what his father believed in and so does he, and so he was sent to the best schools available, most of them boarding schools with six day weeks, they were hard for Dick, especially never really setting foot in a school before. He use to find it difficult to fit in, a circus life was really tight nit, every one knew every one, with the wealthy that was not the case, Dick knew he wasn't one of them and at the beginning the boys knew that too, Dick was the only one that had a earring in private school before he took it out, it was then that he knew he was never going back to circus life, he still keeps the earring safe as his father gave it to him, he use to have the exact same one. He use to have to put up with a lot of stick once they found out that he use to be a circus boy, he'd never tell Bruce that he was having problems and it made Dick more determined to succeed and he excelled in every class he was in, which in return caused him more grief from the boys in his class. At the beginning Dick never use to defend for himself, he use to try to shut everything off, including his parents death, he use to get his head in his work and that was it, try and ignore the taunting, the shoves as he walked down the halls and the wet dorm beds, leaving him to sleep on the floor. He soon found out that he would have to start defending himself, as they grew older, the teenage boys use to get more physical towards him, sly punches as they walked down the busy hallways, Dick use to try hard to cover up the bruises on his arms and back when he use to go home in the half term, he finally agreed to Bruce's offer on martial arts training when he realised that it was the only way he could make it stop, so he perfected every move and skill that Bruce showed him before going back to school that next summer, the taunting soon stopped after that, the teachers never found out how or who gave most of the class the facial bruises when questioned the next time they tried picking a fight with him. After Graduating with highest remarks, he was glad to see the back of a class room and so he finds it quite amusing that he is going back to class so many years later.

"Okay Grayson go and wait outside and well call you"

Dick walked down the hallway into the room with "Waiting area" hung above the door, as he opened the door he was welcomed by dozens of eyes glaring at him from there chairs, this made Dick unawkward as he stood in the doorway.

"Why don't you sit down, you're making the place look untidy" He heard a voice coming from the corner, he stared over to it to see a hand up in the air "Here"

"Thanks" Dick said as he sat down next to him

"Nah, they did the same to me when I walked in… Names Chip" He holds out his hand to Dick

"Dick" He replies as they shook hands

"Really, is that your real name?"

"It's my real name" He could tell he wasn't saying it offensively, unlike many, which have done in the past, but he has learnt to get over it

"Hey Dick and Chip, we could be the next Starsky and Hutch, what do you think?"

"Sounds good" Dick laughs, he could tell Chip must have been the classroom clown, from a public school because of his English. He was a lot smaller build that Dick, very faired freckly skin with red hair, much lighter than Barbara's, almost an orange shade and the gap in his front teeth made him look almost comical but Dick could tell he was a good guy, he's a good judge of character, besides he was the only one out of twenty three of them to offer him a place to sit.

"Hey, what did you think of the test, pretty damn solid weren't it?"

"Oh the test, yeah, think I'm cutting it a bit fine if I get through"

"Well you sure as heck look the part, think id run the other way if I was a crook"

"Thanks" Dick tries to act rather blasé about it _'You should see them run when I'm Nightwing'_

"Alright quiet" Sergeant Matthews voice enters the room, drowning out every other voice in it "We have marked the papers and those who have been called out need to move next door"

Dick sits there for what seems like ages as names were being called out and the group started dwindling down, he was still in the room with Chip who was still looking confident although Dick wasn't so sure now if being in the same room as chip was a good sign then the names stopped being called and he realised that he was left in the room with twelve others.

"Right then lads, you seem to be the best that Gotham has to offer for now, well done you're through, now if you will follow your Lieutenant Connors, you will be under his watch from now on"

"Oh yeah, were through Dick, I knew it" Chip smacks Dick across the back in excitement as he walks out of the door in front of him

"Grayson" A voice from behind him calls form outside the door, he watches as the rest of them carry on walking up the hall

"Yes Sir"

"Do you know what you did Rookie?" He looks at Dick blankly

"No Sir" Dick replies rather confused, what's he already messed up now he thinks to himself

Sergeant Mathews passes him a piece of paper, Dick looks up at him and he nods his head to give him permission to look at the paper, it was his test sheet

"Full marks Grayson, the last time I saw one of those was when I sat mine"

Dick looks at him in silence, not quite sure what to say without making himself sound big headed or overconfident

"Now with you're health and fitness checks being passed with 100% I would have no doubt in saying that you were a machine if that were possible"

"Um… thank you"

"No not thank you Grayson, lets just say I expect big things from you and I know what you're capable of now, you're going to make a good cop so long as you keep you're head on board"

"Thank- um I mean yes sir"

"Okay now get back to your class"

Dick walks quickly through the corridors to a large courtyard to see his classmates face first on the ground in a line doing press-ups, or at least trying to.

"Where the hell have you been Rookie"?

"Sorry sir, Sergeant Mathews wanted to see…."

"I don't give a damn about you're apologies Rookie you're lacking on your press-ups, drop and give me fifty now!"

Dick does exactly what he was told and started to do the press-ups, maintaining the rhythm perfectly, he could feel Lieutenant Connors eyes on him and could hear the panting and wheezing of his classmates around him before he realised that he had already done over fifty and the others who started before him were still counting "23… 36… 28" So he carried on, besides he hadn't even broken a sweat yet which he didn't think was going to help with him fitting in whilst most of the others shirts were now starting to show rather large sweat patches.

"You're pathetic all of you, you were all meant to have passed your checks, what a load of bull, get up and go shower now"

Dick stands up and watches the others weakly trying to get up, half of them their feet were almost buckling under them as they walked to the showers.

Dick was heading to the showers before having his path blocked by Connors, although towering over him by about five inches, there was something about him that made Dick feel threatened by this little man with and even smaller moustache and glaring grey eyes.

"Can you not count Rookie?" He finally says after staring at Dick

"Yes sir"

"Then tell me why you felt the need to do seventy five sit ups when I only said to do fifty"

"I don't know sir… I just though I'd-"

"Prove yourself, isolate yourself from the rest of the group"

"No sir I"

"Did I tell you to speak, you speak only when I tell you to or direct a question to you"

Dick stands there trying not to make it obvious that he was biting his lip hard, he doesn't like to be dictated to, let alone by some guy with little man syndrome that he could easily knock out with a quick fist that no one would see him do, even Connors wouldn't know what hit him

"Do you understand"?

"Yes sir"

Lieutenant Connors moves closer to Dick and looks up to him, Dick keeps his composure and maintains his eyelevel forward "Don't think I don't know who you are Grayson, I don't know what cheap stunt Wayne has pulled to get you in here but don't think for a second that I will be rolling out the red carpets for you"

Dick doesn't say anything, he knows that by doing so it will make his life here harder, he's already got Sergeant Mathews keeping an eye on him as well as having Lieutenant Connors on his back also

"Now, since you were so eager with the push ups, I want you to do another hundred… lets see if pretty boy can sweat"

Dick knows that he hasn't made a good job of blending in so far, which is going to make it harder to try and sneak out of the complex tonight so that he can go enforce his own law. He decided its probably best if he stays in the bunkers for the time being, after all most of these guys still live with there parents and this is the first time they have had independence, so it didn't seem wise to say that he has a large disused warehouse which he has converted in to an apartment, where his lounge is probably the size of most of there entire ground floor.

"See you've made friends with Connors then?" Chip sarcastically comments as Dick enters the room

"You think" Dick mumbles

"Here you can have the bottom bunk if you want" Connor mockingly poses in front of the less than comfortable looking bunk beds with five located on either side of the walls.

"Thanks" Dick was relieved, at least it would be easier to get out of the bottom bed as opposed to getting off the top bunk unheard.

Dick waits a good half an hour after the lights went out and the talking was replaced by loud snoring before removing the sheets from over him and grabbing the backpack from under his bed and entering the shower room where he remembered seeing a high window which he would be able to get through, whilst in the room he quickly changes into the Nightwing suit and applies his eye mask and takes and run towards the wall before vaulting up towards the window, he was impressed at how well and silent he managed to do this and lands neatly on the dirt under the window, he does the same over the walls, being careful not to get clipped by the barbed wire on his way over, it didn't take him long before getting out of the confinements of the complex and into Gotham. He crouches over the edge of a building as he does every night before he heads out, preparing himself for whatever awaits for him once he gets down there, it also gives him time to think, to reflect on things when he's up here alone, in the silence, whether he has made the right decision to join the police force and what Bruce will think once he finds out, if he doesn't already know, to think about Huntress, how he's going to deal with her when he meets her one of these nights which is a sure thing and also time to think about Barbara, of how big he's messed up this time with her, he wishes he had just swallowed his pride and apologised but instead he goes into defensive mode like he did every time he was around Bruce. Nightwing sighs into the dark air and watches as his visible breath fades into the night, but his thoughts are soon interrupted as he hears a almost silent swishing sound behind him, he knows what the sound was but his reactions were too late as the enforced ropes bind around his torso, fixing his arms to his sides and the metal balls fixing it in place, Nightwing looses his balance from the sheer suprisement and almost falls off the ledge before being grabbed and thrown to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Nightwing snarls towards the dark figure

He stands there silently and study's Nightwing's rage for a moment before walking up to him and gassing him out, Nightwing struggles for a moment before the gas fully takes its toll.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Twelve months" He sharply replies after allowing an awkward silence come between them… "I've been gone twelve months…." His voice ever so slightly softens as he realise the importance to this date and looks into Batgirls large green eyes, which now holds so much hurt and sorrow as opposed to the love and happiness they once glistened with.

"It was a year ago today that we first met, remember?" Batgirls soft voice replies as she looks longingly at him, she knows that he's aware of this fact, she can tell by his body language, the way his head is hung low and by the way he is now awkwardly biting the inside of his check. "In that small café down the side street not far from your home, I was sat by the bar when you came in… you know I saw you before you even walked through that door, I noticed you when you were across the other side of the street, I watched you through the window until you were in the door way behind me and I was too scared to turn around on the chance that you might have made eye contact with me. If it wasn't for Trixie, I don't think I would have ever have met you… you know Trixie went back to uni, she's carrying on her law degree, and she's…"

"You didn't come here to talk about Trixie for Christ sake" He abruptly shouts, his hands in tight fists by his sides, like although he was readying for combat.

Batgirl quinces at him shouting and moves back, making a larger distance between them.

"Please…Dick, this was hard for me to do, don't make it like this it…. doesn't have to be this way" Batgirls soft voice begins to quiver as she slowly moves towards Dick who seems to be far darker in the shadows now than should be natural, but never the less she takes hold of his one hand softly and as she does his clenched fist began to loosen and she puts her other hand against the side of his face although not being able to see any of his perfect face that she has longed to see happy once again.

"I don't see the point of all this…. You didn't want me then so why should I want you know" Dick growls at her as he grabs her hand from his face and jolts his hand out from inside hers before turning his back to her.

Batgirl backs away from him, and now instead of the sadness in her eyes, they are now filled with anger. "You are still so bitter and one day you will be just like him, alone!" She screams at him, trying hard for her voice not to quake.

"I will never be like him!" Dick shouts back, trying hard not to let the anger entirely consume him, knowing exactly whom she was talking about, and scarily he has began to notice it too.

"Oh no… well maybe you should take a look at yourself in the mirror, you couldn't be more like him if you were blood related" Batgirls voice was quieter but the anger in her voice could clearly still be heard.

"Don't insult me, I don't know why you even bothered to come" Dicks voice lowering to the same level as Batgirls he watches as she makes her way to the window and fires a grapple silently through it, but before dropping out of the window she turns to look at Dick, her face once again filled with sadness.

"Because I still had hope… hope that there was a chance of finding that man that I once loved… that I still love, but it looks like although he's… gone"

She does not give him a chance to reply, she knew that it was unlikely that he was going to anyway but didn't want him to think that she was giving him the opportunity. She hoped that by going there today that she would have found the Dick that she remembers, the Dick she loves, that he has had the time he needed to accept what has happened, that if anything they could now be friend, knowing that it could not entirely be like it once was, but they would still have each other in their lives, but no, even without his mask and suit on it was still just Nightwing there, like that night at the laboratory, just a bitter lonely vigilante.

After watching her dive out of the room and his life once again, it takes Dick a moment to reflect on the event that has just taken place, but it wasn't long before Dick realized what he had just done, he let his emotions get the better of him once again and Batgirl was right, he is still bitter and he allowed that to again consume him, he isn't angry at Batgirl, he's angry at himself, he never wanted to ever shout at her, to make her hurt and feel so much sadness that he could see the pain he had caused her through those beautiful green eyes . He shouts, shouts as loud and long as he possibly could before slumping against the wall behind him and holding his legs to his chest so that he could lean his head on his knees.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

It didn't take Batgirl long to get back to Gotham, she wanted to get out of Bludahaven as fast as possible, she thought to herself as she left that Bludahaven deserves Dick and Dick deserves Bludahaven… a lost place where people with no hopes or dreams spend the rest of their lonely lives, she wishes that wasn't entirely true, at first Dick went with enough hopes and dreams for everyone there, dreams to make Bludahaven a better place, to prove to Batman that he is capable of cleaning up a city worst than Gotham, better and more effectively than his mentor. But know it is although he has accepted that Bludahaven is beyond hope and in the same way a captain goes down with his ship, Dick has done the same with his lost city.

Batgirl approaches Wayne manor and runs her hand through her hair to smooth it and enters down the side of the manor into the cave, she is aware of her slightly wind burned face as she walks up to the side of Batman who is sat at the large computer, he doesn't acknowledge her.

"Where have you been" This is Batman's form of hello

"I've… been searching" She hesitantly replies, she feels although she was sixteen again and has just broken curfew.

"What for?"

"Leads… leads on the Jokers whereabouts?" She confidently replies, thinking it was a good backup story.

"In Bludahaven?" His deep and almost disappointed voice replies as he looks up to the Bat computer, which is displaying a map of Bludahaven on it.

"Oh" Batgirl sighs as she remembers that every part of her costume is rigged with trackers.

"He needs time" Batman's calm but still rugged voice replies

"He's had time… how much more time does he need!" Batgirl can feel her emotions rising again

"Have you had a report from Alfred?" Batman ignores her last statement.

Batgirl realises that he wants to steer away form the subject, he hasn't spoken about it since it happened, Batman isn't the sort of person who talks about his feelings, hence why he is so dark and intense although she is aware that he is hurting as much as she is, if not more, Dick had been the closest thing he has as son, to family, bar Alfred.

"Um… no I haven't" Batgirl appreciates that he no longer want to talk about it, and really she hadn't wanted to either.

"I want you to find out where the Northern Bank moves the contents of their safe to at night"

Batgirl shakes her head in notification and makes a quick exit from the cave.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Hi there stranger" A husky voice calls out to him from the rooftop.

Nightwing turns and allows himself a half smile, which is enough to increase her heartbeat rapidly. He knew that she would be here; he wanted her to be here.

"Well long time no see, you missed me!" She flirtatiously asks after regaining her breathing.

She admires his long, lean body and takes a mental image of his muscles rippling underneath his suit as he breaths, she forgets what she saying, hypnotized as she gazed at Nightwing's perfect features that she hasn't seen in so long. She admires his calm strength, as he looks at her deeply, concerned almost, even though she couldn't see his eyes, but she wanted to know what he was thinking.

"Not much into conversation tonight are you?" She smugly asks him eventually.

"I haven't come here to talk Huntress" Nightwing spoke in his deep, yet passionate voice. "Nor have you" His voice penetrating through her armour, to her chest.

"Oh… then why are we here" She grins, knowing what he meant, what he wanted and what she's waited for.

Nightwing didn't reply, instead he moves closer towards Huntress and stands there for a moment, he can smell her flowery perfume through the breeze and she can feel the warmth of his body as he gets nearer, she closes her eyes as Nightwing takes hold of her and slides one hand up her back to bring her in and the other holding the side of her face, his gloved thumb brushing over her lower lip.

"Huntress" Nightwing finally says, he's so close that she can smell the mint on his breath which he must have had before she arrived, she knew he planned this, that he knew she wouldn't be able to resist him, but she didn't care.

"Yeah" She sighs, she looks at him with a glint in her almost violet eyes.

Then Nightwing kisses her, hard, with intent, she knows that Nightwing kisses like he fights, fierce, almost aggressive and with his whole body. She knows that tonight his kisses aren't full of false promises that tonight is the next time that he's promised her about, that she has been dreaming of.

"Why?" Huntress pants heavily as Nightwing kisses her bare neck "Why now?"

Nightwing stops and looks at her through his white lenses, he could see that she was confused and yet at the same time the lust in her eyes. '_Because you're here, because I can, because I won't be alone'. _

"I don't know" He kisses her again, more passionately this time, she runs her hands through his hair, which has grown since the last time they met, but she liked the way it felt soft underneath her hands, she lifts her head slightly as Nightwing kisses her neck again before she pushes him off and smiles at him before shooting her own grapple gun into the night, she turns to smile at him before diving off the building, Nightwing gives her a head start before firing his own grapple gun and following her through the skyline buildings.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six**

"Batman I've found something" Batgirl breaks the silence as her voice echoes through the cave

Batman moves to where Batgirl was sitting, she has to look around to check that he was there because he moved so silently, He watches as Batgirls fingers move quickly over the keyboard, impressed at how well she can work a computer

"They move the contents of the safe into Gotham's main bank where five safes are beneath the bank, heavily guarded by security, computers, lasers, you name it, it protects it"

"So they had already moved its contents out of the safe before the ice crème vans pulled up"

"You got it… which means they just planted them there so that you'd go check it out"

"But why send me to a place for no reason" Batman's speaking to himself more than towards Batgirl.

"Maybe it was just a prank… you know a joke, just to see the look on you face"

"A joke… that sounds more like the Joker we know… come on"

"Where are we going"?

It wasn't long before Batgirls found out there destination, Gotham's Northern bank. It didn't take Batman long to regain access into the bank and past the security system. Batgirl finds it fascinating watching him at work, picking up more things every time they go out together.

"See what you can find on the cameras" Batman's voice is even deeper when he is out of the cave… almost not of human sounding.

Batgirl nods her head and sets to work, she knows that Batman is incredible at what he does but she has just that bit more knowledge with computers than he does, but she doesn't think about it a lot… anyway it is Nightwing with the ego not her. She pauses from the job at hand for a moment thinking about Nightwing… Dick, thinking what he would be doing now if he were here, he probably would have snuck up here without Batman knowing to keep her company, make her laugh and she would be telling him to stop because she was working even though she was laughing herself and then he would just give her that smile, that smile that no one else could possibly give, the sort of smile that makes you forget where you are or what you're doing… a smile that he is blissfully unaware he is gifted with.

"Batgirl do you copy" Batman's irritated voice breaks her daydream

"Uh… yeah Batman I copy just caught up in the moment…. Um I mean caught up in all this cctv software"

"Have you found anything?"

"Hang on" She quickly tabs into the security system, something she should have already done. "Here… and I think you're gonna like this Batman" She says as she reads the computer screen

"Ill be right up"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The morning sunlight was trying to break through the thick fog, which hangs around Gotham night and day as the pair lay in silence, Nightwing estimates it to be around five o'clock, he had been lying there watching the sky almost all night. He often watches the sun rise if he's at home or if he's just coming in from a long night of playing vigilante, he finds it hard to sleep at nigh, he always feels he has a duty to be out there helping to protect the streets, to make them that little bit safer than they were the night before, he found it especially hard tonight to rest since being in unfamiliar surroundings. As the light begins to fill the room, he can see more clearly the large wardrobes along the opposite wall, the colours of the walls and carpet, he can also see his Nightwing suit spread across the floor, entangled with the purple and black of the Huntress suit, in the same way her arms are wrapped around his upper body. He looks down at her and watches as she sleeps, almost smiling as she does, with her dark plum lipstick barely visible anymore, her dark hair resting on the pillow and on her bare shoulder as her face rest upon Nightwing's chest. He slowly edges towards the end of the bed careful not to wake her, she looks so peaceful. He quietly dresses and stealthy moves out of the bedroom into an open planned living area, neatly presented, almost show home quality if it wasn't for the large pile of workbooks on the side of the kitchen counter, he curiously moves the top sheet from the pile and picks up the first work book to read the cover _Name Louise Robbins, Class Mrs H. Bertelli._

"I Knew you only came here to find out the end of term answers" Huntresses husky but still attractive voice enters the room.

"You're a teacher?" He replies in suprisment as he continues flicking through the books.

"I moonlight as a teacher," She says as she looks at him raise a smile down at the books as she says so "You want coffee?"

"Yeah that'd be nice" His smile turns into a slight frown as he looks at her unmasked face, aware that she knew it was still missing "I hope you don't think I will be returning the favour"

"Wouldn't dream of it… besides I like the mystery"

Nightwing's expression softening "Sorry I didn't mean too…"

"Its fine I understand" She smiles, it was the first time she has seen his caring side all night. Nightwing puts the books down to receive the coffee which she held out to him, he smiles in an almost innocent way as he takes the coffee and replaces her now empty hand with his.

"Thank you" He says as he looks at her. Huntress hesitates at what he just said, is he thanking her for the coffee, for not asking him his identity but showing him hers or for last night. He then leans across to where she was and kisses her gently on the lips, Huntress almost dropping her coffee as he does.

"I had better go, us costumed vigilantes don't like to stay out in the daylight any longer than we have to" Huntress laughs, she hadn't heard him crack a joke or make a quirky comment in a long time… she missed that. "Thanks for the coffee" He says as he goes to leave through the window.

"Anytime" She replies as she watches him jump out of the window with renewed energy.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"What have you found" Batman's intrigued voice rumbles behind Batgirl as he looks over her shoulder.

"When I was hacking the files to view the cctv footage I noticed a file classed 'Batman' on it… I guess it's for you"

"Open it"

Batgirl clicks on the icon and they both watch as the screen goes green and the Jokers face appears on it, Batgirl gasps at the suprisement as Batman maintains his well-composed stern expression which Batgirl thinks he must have been practicing even before she was born.

"Ah Batman my dear, dear friend" The Jokers slimy and pure evil voice scrapes through the screen as he smiles with his demonic expression which Batgirl knows he didn't need to practice. "I see you found my secret letter, very clever of you, it was unfortunate that you didn't find my other videos that I conveniently left for you at my other 'crime scenes'… oh come on Batsy you didn't really think that I wouldn't leave you at least one thing behind, I'll admit there not as oh what shall I say… eye-catching as other things I have done but to see you going to bogus calls made me laugh oh to see you're face!" Joker breaks out into an uncontrolled hysterics "Oh sorry Batsy you must excuse my humour… oh is that the time I really must be going… so many crimes to commit or not you never know he… I hope to be seeing my pointy eared friend some time soon ta ta" Then the screen goes blank, Batgirl tries to type in a search code but it failed.

"Can you track where he filmed it"

"Nope, he's set up so many firewalls and encryptions I'm surprised he could work around them all, I'm afraid if I do too much now well crash it"

"Take what you need" Batman's sharp voice replies as he moves away from the computer, Batgirl moves around the back of the computer and removes the hard rive.

"That will do"

Batgirl quickly heads down through the bank and into the Batmobile where Batman was waiting, his quietness even unnerved her.

"Batman well get him, you know we will" She tries to console him but he makes no recognition of her talking and starts up the engine.

They was silence the whole journey back to the cave, Batgirl wasn't all that keen on riding with Batman because of the awkward silences or not as the case may be with Batman, she wishes she could have her own type of transport, sure would be easier she thought or even hitch a ride with Nightwing, he'd sure make it interesting, whenever you are around Nightwing he would have made it fun back then.

"I'll take this home with me, see what I can find" Batman nods his head and continues to walk away until he couldn't be seen in the shadows.

"Don't go working on that too late Ms Gordon" A soft English voice arose from the side of her

"I promise Alfred" She smiles to him, Alfred has become almost like a grandfather to her since she started coming to Wayne Manor "The Joker really gets to him doesn't he" Batgirl comments with concern.

Alfred nods his head "Taking one of the closest things he had to a son, I can't say I blame him"

Barbara sympathetically smiles "See you tomorrow Alfred, tell Bruce I'll let his know as soon as I find anything"

"I will make sure I do Ms Gordon"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Barbara takes the short journey home in her civilian clothing, ignoring the odd wolf whistle and crude remarks as she walks down the nearly dead streets, she cant get through her door quick enough as she shuts it behind her, although knowing that she could quite easily take anyone who came up to her, she is inefficient without her Batgirl costume.

She opens her door to her lounge and throws her bag with her Batgirl gear in on the sofa and sits beside it and lies back, although tonight hasn't been physical, the hours take their toll as she looks at the clock on the opposite wall which reads 3.15am. She knows that she needs to go to bed as she is meeting up with her Dad for coffee at ten where as she would really like to stay in bed for a few hours more but she cant resist having one more look at the virus that the Joker has installed, there's not much that baffles her with computers so she sees this as a challenge that she has to complete. She gets up to turn on her computer and makes herself a coffee as it warms up. She sits down at the computer and begins typing in the many numbered sequences to try and get access into the many firewalls so that she is able to find out where it was set up.

Barbara looks hesitantly at the file which is named 'READ ME' but knowing that she had to open it in order to continue her work, she double clicks on the file which has the word 'BOO' filling the whole screen on a green background, she pauses for a moment, unable to work out the reason for this file but before she continued working, she was disturbed by a quiet knocking on the door, looking at the time which now read 4.35am she didn't know who her early morning visitor could be other than a masked one, maybe it was Nightwing or more hopingly Dick coming to apologize because he couldn't sleep because of the argument. She quickly goes to the door, trying hard to cover her smile as she opens the door wide, but the smile soon turns into a face of horror as she greets two large thugs with clown masks covering their entire face.

"You were meant to be afraid of our note lady." The large man said before gassing Barbara in the face, she tries not too breath in the gas in but had already taken enough in to knock her out, she manages to reach her lounge before collapsing and spots the two masked men towering over her before reluctantly closing her eyes.

When opening her eyes again she finds herself lying on a disused operating table, the first thing she felt was the nausea from the gas and then the tightness around her hands and feet as they were bound to the table, she looks around trying to see if she could spot anything that would give her a clue to her whereabouts or of her captors were, she was given a big hint of who was responsible for this when a loud laugh echoed through the dingy room, the sort of laugh that would make you're blood run cold, especially when you knew who it was.

"Say cheese!" The slithery voice said as he points the camera at Barbara, she looks towards him and gets disorientated by the large flash of the camera. "Oh I'm sure this one will go in the family photo album don't you?" He laughs as he puts the camera down and walks towards Barbara.

"Why Joker, what do you want from me?" Barbara tries to sound assertive although she is all to aware of what this clown is capable of, she's seen his files as Barbara and fought against him as Batgirl.

"Oh no its not what I want, its more about what you want" The evil grin across his face makes Barbara shudder.

"What do you mean?"

"Well we've all got skeletons in out closets Ms Gordon, I'll admit I have one too many but you, you seem to be keeping bats in yours if you get what I mean"

"I…. I'm not sure I do" Her now strong voice beginning to quake.

"Oh come on don't go playing sweet and innocent with me, we all know that you would be able to give my goons a run for their money… on the other hand I'm not so sure you're father is so aware of his little girl playing dress up is he?"

"Where is he" Her voice becoming stronger at the thought that the Joker may have her Dad, Commissioner Gordon.

"He's safe, I didn't feel the need to get him involved just yet"

"Then what do you want?"

"You're very clever Barbara, a very big improvement on the Boy Blunder, I was impressed at how quickly you managed to break down my virus, but was a little disappointed that you didn't find my tracking device installed in it, I was hoping that you would have left it with Batman, but as they say start of with the little fish and work you're way up"

"I'm never going to tell you where Batman is Joker"

"Oh my dear child… never say never"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

When Dick arrives home, the first thing he always does is put the Nightwing costume away in the space behind the large oriental picture along the one side of his lounge wall, if there's one thing that Batman has taught him and he respects is always make sure you're identity goes unknown, hence why he left his mask on whilst with Huntress, it wasn't that he didn't want her to find out who he was really, he just knows that it wouldn't only be him giving up his identity, it would be Bruce's and Barbara's as well and he knows how much they both have to lose and he would never want anything bad to happen to Barbara. So he puts the costume away and heads towards the bathroom to take a shower before noticing the memo board on the wall which is barely full as he has a good memory… unless he though he did before spotting the bold letter 'COP TEST 12:00,' with everything else going on in his life he had completely forgotten that he was meant to be sitting his test to try and get into police academy, he has already had his fitness reports and health check done and all he has to do is past this test and he would have a place.

Dick hadn't told anyone that he had been thinking about joining the force, he was definitely not going to tell Bruce even if they were on speaking terms, although Bruce supports the police, he doubts that he would be all that pleased that a vigilante was joining and could cause a possible threat to his activities as Batman but Dick knows that this could be a reliable source of information to Nightwing, as Officer Grayson could get access into the police files and background knowledge that Nightwing couldn't and he also hopes that he can help, he knows that crimes doesn't just happen at night in Bludahaven and so by joining the force he would be able to help stop crime without worrying about being chased or shot at by the SWAT team or anything else Flash decides to tag onto him, he also hopes to get a little of the gratification he deserves just by being Dick Grayson… police officer.

Looking at the time 11:42, he quickly pack a large duffle bag with clean clothes and makes a u-turn back out of his apartment and down the stairwells and onto the street towards police head quarters.

"I'm… I'm here for the entry test," Dick pants as he enters the reception

"Name" The pretty blonde says from behind the desk

"Grayson, Richard"

"Well take a seat over there sir and Sergeant Mathews will call for you shortly, might give you chance to get you're breath back" She smiles at him flirtatiously, Dick smiles back but reminds himself that he is already in such a mess right now with Barbara and now Huntress he doesn't need to add a Blonde cop to the list as well.

"Richard Grayson" A loud voice comes form inside the room behind him

"Sir" Dick enters the room and closes the door behind him, he glances at the many photos of old police academy classes scattered on the walls before looking at the centre of the room to see a small desk and chair opposite a larger desk where Sergeant Mathews sat.

"Take a seat and fill in the front page, you have an hour to complete this test and you will need an hour to complete this test and stand a good chance of passing" His voice matched him perfectly, he was a large man, height and build with a large dark moustache, which compensated for the thinning hair.

"Yes Sir" Dick sits at the desk and begins the test, he was right, the test was hard and it would have taken most of the applicants an hour to stand a good chance at passing, but with what Dick knew about Law enforcements and having Commissioner Gordon as a close friend to Dick and Nightwing, it barely took him half that time but he felt it would be a good idea to sit there for the whole hour, it wouldn't be a good start being know as Mr know it all.

He was relieved when Sergeant Mathews called time, it has been years since Dick had been in school and he didn't like them much then. When he was with the circus he was home schooled a little, most of his time then he was being taught how to walk on the tight ropes and how to catch the bars in mid air, he never thought he needed an education, that circus life was all he was going to need, but of course that all changed when his parents died and Bruce took custody of him, with Bruce, knowledge and a good education was everything, that was what his father believed in and so does he, and so he was sent to the best schools available, most of them boarding schools with six day weeks, they were hard for Dick, especially never really setting foot in a school before. He use to find it difficult to fit in, a circus life was really tight nit, every one knew every one, with the wealthy that was not the case, Dick knew he wasn't one of them and at the beginning the boys knew that too, Dick was the only one that had a earring in private school before he took it out, it was then that he knew he was never going back to circus life, he still keeps the earring safe as his father gave it to him, he use to have the exact same one. He use to have to put up with a lot of stick once they found out that he use to be a circus boy, he'd never tell Bruce that he was having problems and it made Dick more determined to succeed and he excelled in every class he was in, which in return caused him more grief from the boys in his class. At the beginning Dick never use to defend for himself, he use to try to shut everything off, including his parents death, he use to get his head in his work and that was it, try and ignore the taunting, the shoves as he walked down the halls and the wet dorm beds, leaving him to sleep on the floor. He soon found out that he would have to start defending himself, as they grew older, the teenage boys use to get more physical towards him, sly punches as they walked down the busy hallways, Dick use to try hard to cover up the bruises on his arms and back when he use to go home in the half term, he finally agreed to Bruce's offer on martial arts training when he realised that it was the only way he could make it stop, so he perfected every move and skill that Bruce showed him before going back to school that next summer, the taunting soon stopped after that, the teachers never found out how or who gave most of the class the facial bruises when questioned the next time they tried picking a fight with him. After Graduating with highest remarks, he was glad to see the back of a class room and so he finds it quite amusing that he is going back to class so many years later.

"Okay Grayson go and wait outside and well call you"

Dick walked down the hallway into the room with "Waiting area" hung above the door, as he opened the door he was welcomed by dozens of eyes glaring at him from there chairs, this made Dick unawkward as he stood in the doorway.

"Why don't you sit down, you're making the place look untidy" He heard a voice coming from the corner, he stared over to it to see a hand up in the air "Here"

"Thanks" Dick said as he sat down next to him

"Nah, they did the same to me when I walked in… Names Chip" He holds out his hand to Dick

"Dick" He replies as they shook hands

"Really, is that your real name?"

"It's my real name" He could tell he wasn't saying it offensively, unlike many, which have done in the past, but he has learnt to get over it

"Hey Dick and Chip, we could be the next Starsky and Hutch, what do you think?"

"Sounds good" Dick laughs, he could tell Chip must have been the classroom clown, from a public school because of his English. He was a lot smaller build that Dick, very faired freckly skin with red hair, much lighter than Barbara's, almost an orange shade and the gap in his front teeth made him look almost comical but Dick could tell he was a good guy, he's a good judge of character, besides he was the only one out of twenty three of them to offer him a place to sit.

"Hey, what did you think of the test, pretty damn solid weren't it?"

"Oh the test, yeah, think I'm cutting it a bit fine if I get through"

"Well you sure as heck look the part, think id run the other way if I was a crook"

"Thanks" Dick tries to act rather blasé about it _'You should see them run when I'm Nightwing'_

"Alright quiet" Sergeant Matthews voice enters the room, drowning out every other voice in it "We have marked the papers and those who have been called out need to move next door"

Dick sits there for what seems like ages as names were being called out and the group started dwindling down, he was still in the room with Chip who was still looking confident although Dick wasn't so sure now if being in the same room as chip was a good sign then the names stopped being called and he realised that he was left in the room with twelve others.

"Right then lads, you seem to be the best that Gotham has to offer for now, well done you're through, now if you will follow your Lieutenant Connors, you will be under his watch from now on"

"Oh yeah, were through Dick, I knew it" Chip smacks Dick across the back in excitement as he walks out of the door in front of him

"Grayson" A voice from behind him calls form outside the door, he watches as the rest of them carry on walking up the hall

"Yes Sir"

"Do you know what you did Rookie?" He looks at Dick blankly

"No Sir" Dick replies rather confused, what's he already messed up now he thinks to himself

Sergeant Mathews passes him a piece of paper, Dick looks up at him and he nods his head to give him permission to look at the paper, it was his test sheet

"Full marks Grayson, the last time I saw one of those was when I sat mine"

Dick looks at him in silence, not quite sure what to say without making himself sound big headed or overconfident

"Now with you're health and fitness checks being passed with 100% I would have no doubt in saying that you were a machine if that were possible"

"Um… thank you"

"No not thank you Grayson, lets just say I expect big things from you and I know what you're capable of now, you're going to make a good cop so long as you keep you're head on board"

"Thank- um I mean yes sir"

"Okay now get back to your class"

Dick walks quickly through the corridors to a large courtyard to see his classmates face first on the ground in a line doing press-ups, or at least trying to.

"Where the hell have you been Rookie"?

"Sorry sir, Sergeant Mathews wanted to see…."

"I don't give a damn about you're apologies Rookie you're lacking on your press-ups, drop and give me fifty now!"

Dick does exactly what he was told and started to do the press-ups, maintaining the rhythm perfectly, he could feel Lieutenant Connors eyes on him and could hear the panting and wheezing of his classmates around him before he realised that he had already done over fifty and the others who started before him were still counting "23… 36… 28" So he carried on, besides he hadn't even broken a sweat yet which he didn't think was going to help with him fitting in whilst most of the others shirts were now starting to show rather large sweat patches.

"You're pathetic all of you, you were all meant to have passed your checks, what a load of bull, get up and go shower now"

Dick stands up and watches the others weakly trying to get up, half of them their feet were almost buckling under them as they walked to the showers.

Dick was heading to the showers before having his path blocked by Connors, although towering over him by about five inches, there was something about him that made Dick feel threatened by this little man with and even smaller moustache and glaring grey eyes.

"Can you not count Rookie?" He finally says after staring at Dick

"Yes sir"

"Then tell me why you felt the need to do seventy five sit ups when I only said to do fifty"

"I don't know sir… I just though I'd-"

"Prove yourself, isolate yourself from the rest of the group"

"No sir I"

"Did I tell you to speak, you speak only when I tell you to or direct a question to you"

Dick stands there trying not to make it obvious that he was biting his lip hard, he doesn't like to be dictated to, let alone by some guy with little man syndrome that he could easily knock out with a quick fist that no one would see him do, even Connors wouldn't know what hit him

"Do you understand"?

"Yes sir"

Lieutenant Connors moves closer to Dick and looks up to him, Dick keeps his composure and maintains his eyelevel forward "Don't think I don't know who you are Grayson, I don't know what cheap stunt Wayne has pulled to get you in here but don't think for a second that I will be rolling out the red carpets for you"

Dick doesn't say anything, he knows that by doing so it will make his life here harder, he's already got Sergeant Mathews keeping an eye on him as well as having Lieutenant Connors on his back also

"Now, since you were so eager with the push ups, I want you to do another hundred… lets see if pretty boy can sweat"

Dick knows that he hasn't made a good job of blending in so far, which is going to make it harder to try and sneak out of the complex tonight so that he can go enforce his own law. He decided its probably best if he stays in the bunkers for the time being, after all most of these guys still live with there parents and this is the first time they have had independence, so it didn't seem wise to say that he has a large disused warehouse which he has converted in to an apartment, where his lounge is probably the size of most of there entire ground floor.

"See you've made friends with Connors then?" Chip sarcastically comments as Dick enters the room

"You think" Dick mumbles

"Here you can have the bottom bunk if you want" Connor mockingly poses in front of the less than comfortable looking bunk beds with five located on either side of the walls.

"Thanks" Dick was relieved, at least it would be easier to get out of the bottom bed as opposed to getting off the top bunk unheard.

Dick waits a good half an hour after the lights went out and the talking was replaced by loud snoring before removing the sheets from over him and grabbing the backpack from under his bed and entering the shower room where he remembered seeing a high window which he would be able to get through, whilst in the room he quickly changes into the Nightwing suit and applies his eye mask and takes and run towards the wall before vaulting up towards the window, he was impressed at how well and silent he managed to do this and lands neatly on the dirt under the window, he does the same over the walls, being careful not to get clipped by the barbed wire on his way over, it didn't take him long before getting out of the confinements of the complex and into Gotham. He crouches over the edge of a building as he does every night before he heads out, preparing himself for whatever awaits for him once he gets down there, it also gives him time to think, to reflect on things when he's up here alone, in the silence, whether he has made the right decision to join the police force and what Bruce will think once he finds out, if he doesn't already know, to think about Huntress, how he's going to deal with her when he meets her one of these nights which is a sure thing and also time to think about Barbara, of how big he's messed up this time with her, he wishes he had just swallowed his pride and apologised but instead he goes into defensive mode like he did every time he was around Bruce. Nightwing sighs into the dark air and watches as his visible breath fades into the night, but his thoughts are soon interrupted as he hears a almost silent swishing sound behind him, he knows what the sound was but his reactions were too late as the enforced ropes bind around his torso, fixing his arms to his sides and the metal balls fixing it in place, Nightwing looses his balance from the sheer suprisement and almost falls off the ledge before being grabbed and thrown to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Nightwing snarls towards the dark figure

He stands there silently and study's Nightwing's rage for a moment before walking up to him and gassing him out, Nightwing struggles for a moment before the gas fully takes its toll.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Aaaahhhh" Barbara's painful screams are heard from the room she is being held in, more screams come every time the sparks light up the dark and dank room.

"You know dear, I can keep switching this on and off all night if you want" The Joker smiles menacingly as he flicks the switch once again and watches amusingly as the electric charges through Barbara as she still screams "But I'm getting rather bored of this aren't you child so I think ill try a new approach" Joker heads towards the cluttered table besides Barbara and bring out a large syringe.

"No…. Joker…. Please" Almost a whisper now

"I'm sure you'd much rather this as opposed to twenty more volts charging though you right at this moment, besides its just a little scratch" He says as he jabs the needle into her upper arm

Barbara winces as the needle goes further into her muscle, her stomach is turning as she is terrified of what Joker could have possibly have injected into her and she was unable to stop any of this happening, she watches as the already dark room get darker and the objects in the room begin to fade and disappear, the only thing she could focus her attention on in the now spinning room was Jokers menacing face

"No… no" Barbara's faint and delirious voice repeats as the Jokers voice keeps echoing around her

"Tell me who Batman is" Jokers evil, yet almost desperate questions her "Oh this is no use, the dosage of the truth serum wasn't enough" Jokers irately plays with the syringe

"Why don't ya just give her some more boss?" A large man behind him replies slowly and his blank expression of dumbness fits the voice perfectly

"Are you stupid!" Joker swing around and punches him "Oh wait you are he he"

"Why I am boss?" The man doesn't flinch at the Jokers punch

"Well I'm defiantly not paying you for your intellect" Joker grumbles to himself "We don't want to kill her… well not yet any way, we want answers, who is Batman? Where does he hide? Things like that, her being dead isn't going to help me… besides while we are waiting for her to spill the beans before spilling her guts we can make some money from her"

"How boss?"

"I happen to know her father… Commissioner Gordon has only one thing that is important to him, her and I think he is willing to pay heavily for her safety and Gordon seems to have made an alliance with Batman, if I'm lucky he might even know who he is"

"And wat if he don't do nufin, what you do then?"

"There's more than one person in this world who cares for her… actually someone who might be better to get the money off"

"Who Boss?"

"Dick Grayson… I've seen the articles about them, going to those snooty balls together the 'perfect couple' yuck!"

"Who's he boss?"

"Don't you know anything? Bruce Wayne's adopted son, Bruce probably gave him ten million every birthday until he was of age, do you know what that means?"

"Um… No"

"He's rich! I'm rich, anyway what am I doing having this conversation with you stay here and if she says any names anything at all, tell me… better still tape it"

"Wat you gonna do boss?"

"Some bribing"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Nightwing stirs awake and is welcomed by the sound of hundreds of screeching bats high up in the ceiling, which is impossible to see for it being to far up. If Nightwing were just a regular thug waking up here it would be there version of hell and sheer terror but to him this feels un naturally comfortable almost like a home a safe haven, which is probably true, Nightwing would rather be here as opposed to any other high security building if anything did happen in Gotham or Bludahaven. He notices that he is lying on the soft medical table which he use to wake up on regularly in the first few years of him being Robin with Alfred dealing with his injuries, he looks around to see Alfred not by his side… he knows he was brought here on purpose, unwilling. He half sits up and notices that his arms are now ties behind him, Bruce had anticipated that he would not be happy being brought here under these circumstances. Nightwing adjusts his eyes to the darkness of the cave and spots the dark figure of Bruce still in the Batman costume, Nightwing quickly jumps to his feet and manages his balance perfectly and no sooner had his feet touched the floor he had managed to undo his arms and was running towards Batman, even Batman stumbled to press the button quick enough in his hand which instantly brought up a glass partition between Nightwing getting any closer to him who punches it hard. Batman watches as the glass waves from the force and was quietly surprised and impressed by Nightwing's speed and finesse, he had improved even more from the last time they had met.

"What were you thinking!?" Nightwing finally says though his teeth

"It was the only way," Batman says in his deep yet calm voice as he watched Nightwing paced side to side like a caged animal.

"The only way what?" Nightwing impatiently asks

"To talk to you"

"It's a bit late for talking Bruce" His frown could clearly be seen even from behind his mask and Batman could feels the hard glare even though they were covered by the white lenses.

"I need your help"

"Your taking the piss aren't you" Nightwing sarcastically remarks before noticing Alfred appear behind Batman which makes him hesitate for a moment, he knows how upset he is over there fall out and he could tell from his eyes especially that it hurts him to see it this way "Why would you need my help" He replies in a calmer approach to the conversation, for Alfred's sake.

Batman looks at Nightwing for a moment, pondering over the right way to tell Dick why he needs his help without him falling to pieces or lashing out in rage, he knew if Nightwing really wanted to get out he could and that he would be the person who Nightwing turns his anger to.

"It's… Barbara"

"Barbara?" Dick replies confused, "What's wrong with her?" Nightwing takes off his mask.

Batman could see the concern and worry clearly in his eyes, for a vigilante Batman thought, he displays his emotion far too visible, and he's always thought that.

"We need to find her and I need your help"

"Just tell me!" Nightwing again slams his fists against the glass wall, but Batman didn't have time to reply as the phone in Nightwing's utility belt began to ring. Nightwing allowed it to ring for a moment as he stared at Batman, secretly wondering if answering Dicks phone would be the right thing to do in a situation like this, but he couldn't think of many people who have this number who aren't already in the room. "Hello?"

"Ah Dick Grayson so nice to finally hear the voice behind the face" Jokers voice cuts through Dicks ears; the less he hears of this voice the better.

"Joker"

Batman steps back in suprisment and turns to look at Alfred who is holding the same look of suprisment, Joker must have Barbara, and Batman begins to fear for her safely, more than he has with anyone else, the Joker wouldn't just kill her, especially if he knows she is Batgirl, which Batman is presuming he does.

"Oh how did you know it was me?" He says disappointedly

"There's no one else with a voice like yours"

"Why thank you Sir"

"Cut to it Joker, what do you want?"

"Oh not one for small talk I see… no wonder you get all the girls… oh well never mind"

"Now Joker!" He demanded

"Temper, temper Grayson, you wont ever find anything out like that, you have to ask nicely… say please"

Nightwing knows that the Joker likes to humiliate his victims, he also knows that if he doesn't play along with is sick jokes that he wont find out what it is that he needs to know"

"Please" Dick unwillingly replies.

"That's better, now then, I have a little parcel here with me that I think you might be interested in, which will become a lot more smaller parcels if you don't give me what I want"

"What is it that you want?"

"Money Grayson, a lot of it, and if I don't get it, then I hope you enjoy your ex girlfriend wrapped, understand"

"You have Barbara?" Dick trying to remain as calm as he could, doing anything else would only entice the Joker more.

"Why yes I do, I couldn't find any of your other floozies… couldn't find their addresses"

"Ensure me that she is okay and I'll get the money to you, let me speak to her"

"Oh she cant come to the phone right now, little tied up, drugged and a hell of a lot worst if you don't bring ten mill to the courtyard in twenty fours hours… do I have your word"

"You have my word Joker"

"No cops and especially no Bats… he I mean Bat" Joker slams down the phone. Nightwing does the same and turns to look at Batman.

"Joker has Barbara… when did you find out!"

"This morning"

"Its now twelve at night and you've just decided its time to tell me… how could you?!"

"I didn't want you to worry"

"Joker has Barbara and now you say you weren't even going to tell me!" Nightwing removes something from his utility belt

"I had my suspicions it was Joker but they were only just confirmed" Batman watches as Nightwing sticks the device from his utility belt onto the glass wall and steps back as the wall shatters into thousands of pieces, Nightwing walks through the glass boldly and walks up to Batman as he applies his mask.

"If anything happens to Barbara…" Nightwing points his finger in Batman's face before walking up the steps and out of the cave.

"Dick don't" Batman says, almost allowing a little emotion to his voice, Nightwing holts and turns around. "Don't go there by yourself"

"Why Bruce, you're finally starting to care about our safety?"

"Paying him isn't going to make him give her back, you should know Joker by now… he doesn't play by the books"

"Neither do I" Dick mumbles to himself as he turns to go back up the stairs.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Well it looks although, wanna be playboy actually cares about you" Joker grins as he turns around to look at Barbara, throwing her phone on the side. "Pity that he wont be around for you to thank him isn't it" Joker pick up a gun and checks that there are enough bullets before putting it into his pocket.

"No…. p-please" She faintly replies

"Oh, don't worry, once I get the money, I'll make it as pain free as possible for him, now is there anything you want to tell me about Batman Barbara"

"I- I cant… no" She wearingly shakes her head and passes out from the amount of drugs that have been pumped through her.

"Is she dead boss?"

"No, just passed out, were not going to get anything out of her tonight, by tomorrow shell be more alert, in the mean time, I think it would be a good idea to let Daddy know where his little girl is"

**

"Sir there's someone on the line for you, a Mr J, do you want me to put him through"

"Yes, thank you Casey"

"Yes Sir"

"Commissioner Gordon speaking"

"Ah Comish"

"What can I do for you?"

"The question is… what can I do for you?"

"What can you do for me… what do you mean?" Gordon asks puzzled

"Well I can keep my mouth shut if you'd like me to"

"What about?"

"You and the Bats"

"There's no secret that I have an… an alliance with the Batman"

"Oh I'm not talking about the Batman, this is about the other pointy eared freak"

"Batgirl… what about her"

"Tell me, where is your daughter tonight Comish?"

"Barbara… why she's at her apartment I suspect"

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure, open the pop up on your computer" And just as the Joker finished the sentence a small popup in the bottom right hand corner of his computer screen saying 'READ ME'. Commissioner Gordon clicked on the popup, which then came up with a screen filled of different photographs of Barbara, some with her Batgirl mask on, others without. Gordon looked in horror as he flicked through the many disturbing photographs.

"What the hell have you done with my daughter?"

The Joker laughs manically down the line

"The Joker" Commissioner Gordon says as he hears the laughing "Joker where is my daughter"

"She safe with me for now, she'll stay that way as well if you abide by my rules"

"Rules… Joker I'm not helping you with anything"

"Then I'm sure you colleagues would be interested in knowing that your daughter enjoys playing dress up, I'm sure they'll over look the whole thing, yes you'll keep your job as Commissioner and know one will find out that your daughter was Batgirl and you'll carry on living you're happy… pathetic little lives, happily ever after"

Gordon's goes silent for a moment, he knows that he would lose his job if they ever found out, but he didn't care, he would do anything for his daughter so long as her safety Is intact, which wouldn't be the case if people find out that she is Batgirl or if he doesn't follow Jokers rules.

"Do I have you onboard Commissioner?" Joker smugly asks


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

The almost silent ring of the phone in Batman's earpiece goes off as Batman watches in silence as Dick disappears from sight. He presses the earpiece allowing the call to be answered; he waits until the person calling speaks.

"Batman" Commissioner Gordon's voice sounds anxious if it wasn't for the angry tone in his voice

"Commissioner… what can I do for you" Although trying to keep his droned tone, he was aware that the commissioner would only call him unless it was a state of emergency and since his daughter has just gone missing, his guess was that he was calling about that.

"Barbara has been kidnapped by the Joker… I need you to confirm the rumours" Gordon replies professionally, although he was talking about any other daughter than his own

"Yes, Joker has Barbara, I'm looking for his whereabouts now"

"And the other rumour… is that true?"

Batman hesitates for a moment, yes it is true, he has a right to know what his daughter is doing, but by confirming every fathers nightmare would resolve in Commissioner Gordon's trust being broken which could resolve in his and Nightwing identities being known

"No Commissioner, Batgirl is working for me in Bludahaven whilst Nightwing is helping me find Barbara, who told you this?"

"Just bring my daughter back Batman" He then slams the phone down, Batman was unsure whether Gordon already knew the truth or not

"I hate lying to him Alfred"

"I know sir, but when we get Barbara home safety, you will know it was the right thing to do" Alfred puts his hand on Batman's shoulder to try and console him.

"Why do I keep doing this" Batman sighs to himself as he looks towards the memorial case where the Robin suit proudly hangs

"Do what sir?"

"This… I risk my own life every night, but to bring innocent lives… young lives to get involved in my own obsessive revenge"

"These were children who needed help… guidance sir, you gave them that, you have done everything in your path to ensure that their lives were better than what they were already living"

"I go out every night to save people that I will probably never meet again, yet I cant protect those that I care the most about… I failed him Alfred"

Alfred hesitates, Batman/ Bruce doesn't talk much about the lost of Jason… the second Robin, but he could tell that it has left a big scar over him… one that will never heal.

"You didn't fail him Sir… Jason… Jason's passing was an accident that could not have been prevented, you tried your best Sir, that's all you could have done… that's all you needed to do"

"He still died Alfred… because I forced him into that suit before he was ready, if it wasn't for him being Robin…"

"He wanted that suit as much as you wanted the Batman and as much as Dick wanted his suit, if Jason didn't meet you, he would have still have been a homeless street fighter, resorting to a life of crime and you would have indefinitely have run into him a few times as Batman. He was a strong willed boy and noting you said or did would stop him from doing what he wanted to do, he would have found Joker if not that night, the night after or the night after that and I fear it would of ended the same way"

"Dick doesn't see that"

"That's because you never explained it to him, what really happened that is, he lost the closest thing he had as a brother, he needed someone to focus his grievance on"

"And Barbara"

"She was already taking matters into her own hands, I feel you helped a great deal in her training and making her the best possible fighter she could be, if it wasn't for that, she would have found herself in far more tricky situations, you've already saved Dick and Barbara's lives thousands of times over… you're only one man sir"

"Thank you" Batman taps Alfred on the back in gratitude before heading towards the Batmobile "But I'm not going to allow him to do the same thing twice.

"Yes Sir"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Dick sits and looks down at the large suitcase of money in front of him on the floor… _'Is this what it come down to?_' he thinks to himself, he cares so much about Barbara that he is willing to give the Joker money, enough to buy half of Gotham's street muscle and guns along with a hell of a lot of drugs for him to sell which in return will provide him with more money to buy more of the stuff that Nightwing desperately tries to stop harming innocent people. Dick hesitates to close the lid of the case… _'There must be another way'_, he says over and over in his head, if only he could think of what, if only he could suck in his pride and ask for help off Batman in the same way he just asked Nightwing who through it in his face, _'He was only trying to save the life of the girl you love and you can even work with him for that.' _Dick stands up and puts on a shirt, covering his Nightwing costume, he never goes anywhere without it, especially where the Joker is concerned.

He soon reaches his destination… The Courtyard, probably the only place is Gotham City with grass and flowers, one of the more pleasant laces in this dirty city, just the place Joker would choose to do his dealings. He stands there in silence, listening to the wind blowing through the trees, at the same time, ensuring that he is hearing no triggers of guns or the flipping of knifes being opened, it wasn't long before he hears the shuffling of feet emerging form in front of him, he peers hard into the darkness until the figures appear under the street lamp, it was a large man with Barbara in his grasp, his large hand over her mouth, covering almost her entire face at the same time.

"Barbara" Dick sighs as he moves closer

"No further, Joker wants the money first, throw it to me"

Dick holds the case up and throws it full force to the large man who gasps as it hits his chest

"Now you have your money, now give me Barbara"

"Not so fast, we've only just met, there's so much I can think about us doing" And with saying that, Joker jumps up from behind him and hits him across the head with a bottle which smashes around him as he lands on the cold floor. Barbara muffled shouts come from behind the large mans hands as she tries to struggle free to aid Dick's lifeless body. "You may have money Grayson, but I know somebody with a hell of a lot more" Joker laughs as he walks away into the now foggy area and disappears whilst the large man picks Dick up under one arm whilst holding the struggling Barbara under the other and follows in the same direction as Joker.

Dick soon begins to regret wearing the Nightwing uniform under his civilian clothing as he wakes up in the presents of the Joker, bounded mid air in the room where Barbara was being held in, he glances down to check that his armour was still concealed before looking around the room

"Where is she" Dick tries to sound forceful, whilst trying to shut of the ringing in his ears and the throbbing pain on his temple

"She the cats mother" Joker grins as he walks over

"You know who I mean… I thought we had a deal"

"By dear boy, have you never been taught not to deal with bad men, you could get hurt"

"You had this planned all along"

"Well you've heard about brilliantly mad geniuses, id like to say I top the category, and get a little bit of a cash rewards whilst I'm at it"

"All this… for money"

"Not just money son, for revenge and what better way to do it, I have two of the two most important things in his life"

Dick pauses for a moment to think about what the Joker had just said "Two most important things in his life?"

"Mmmm that's right"

"What have I got to do with Batman?" Dick stomach turns at the thought of Joker's reply

"A lot actually, since Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same person… funny really, I should have worked it out sooner"

"That…. That's not true" A slight tremble in his voice

"Oh its very true, what other man would be able to afford a million dollar masquerade… and I suspect you've known all along Nightwing" Joker smiles at him with narrowing eyes. "Thanks to Barbara spilling the beans and you coming here suited up, I was able to put two and two together and find out Batman's identity, sheer genius"

"You can do what you want with me, just let Barbara go"

"And risk her running to Batman and telling him where to find me, I don't think sooooo"

"You want him to find you, other wise you would have killed us"

"Don't go giving me ideas sparky" Joker holds the gun to Dick's head before walking away to face the large man, Dick couldn't make out what was being said, then Joker turns back around "Looks like were not going to have to wait long before a family reunion"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Alfred"

"Yes sir"

"I think I've tracked down where Joker is"

"May I ask how sir?"

"Commissioner Gordon"

"He told you where he is?"

"No, I chipped his phone, he was speaking to Joker, told him that I had just been"

"You think the Commissioner is working with Joker!?"

"I think he is being bribed, I'm going back"

"Be careful sir" Alfred warns him before Batman switches off

Commissioner Gordon sits at his desk before opening his bottom draw and removing a large bottle of whisky and a glass and pouring a large measure.

"Now I want you to confirm my rumours James" He asks slowly from the shadows, giving Gordon time to take in his request "What do you know about Jokers whereabouts" Gordon almost chokes on his drink as he turns to face Batman who is nothing but two glaring white eyes in the shadows

"Batman w-what are you doing here, you're meant to be looking for my daughter" His hand noticeably shaking as he holds his drink tight

"I don't need to look for her, you just need to tell me where she is"

"I d-don't know what you mean" Gordon wipes the beads of sweat off his forehead with his tie

"Yes you do Gordon, this is your daughters life a steak, what ever hold he may have on you, you need to tell me in order for me to help"

Gordon takes a large sip of his drink before letting out a loud sigh "I didn't think there was any other way Batman, you understand?"

"There is a lot on your shoulders, let me help you, what did he say?"

"He said he wanted me to stall you"

"What was he stalling for?"

"I don't know, I swear, he said that he would then call and I was to send you to him, then I would get Barbara back"

"The toy factory, lower north block…. Batman I'm sorry"

"You were just a porn in all this Gordon" Before Gordon has chance to blink, he was gone, the only thing remaining of his visit was the rustling of the blinds by the wide opened window


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Batman sores down the many blocks of Gotham in the Batmobile as he heads for the toy factory whilst Gordon's voice plays in his mind _'Stalling me for what?'. _

It wasn't long before he reaches his destination, as he gets out of the Batmobile, the memories of Dick being taken by Bane and Jason's murder begin to surface but he knows that this is a disadvantage as he tries to settle his feeling, he wouldn't let Barbara get added to the list, he knew that with the Joker he needed more than brute strength, he needed good tactics in order to get Barbara and himself out alive.

He enters silently, as he always does in the unlit factory and allows himself a few minutes to familiarise himself with his surroundings and what he could use to his advantage, he looks at the many doors before studying the large door in the centre of the room which he presumed to be the factory floor, he fires a grappling hook to a pipe in the high ceiling and pulls himself up to just above the door so that he could get access into the grate, once inside he moves silently around the maze of different pipes before being attracted to broken light coming from behind the far grate as he moved closer he could see shadows moving across the floor, he edges nearer to the grate to see who the shadows belong to, but his blood run colds at the sound of heavy punches hitting into flesh.

"Barbara" Batman says to himself as he kicks the grate to the floor before really thinking of his actions and he was on the floor before realising, but to his horror, yet relief it wasn't Barbara who was taking the punches "Dick" Batman was unable to focus his rage when he see Nightwing's unmasked body being used as a punch bag for the all too amused muscle the Joker has hired.

"Joker" Batman shouts as he looks at him sat down crossed legged reading a newspaper

"Ah Bruce, come, take off you're cowl and sit with me" The Joker replied to the infuriated Batman, who doesn't seem at all taken back that Joker knows his identity "All these years of fighting you, I almost started to believe you weren't human, where as all I had to do was kill Bruce Wayne"

"I expected this day to come"

"And what, now one of us have to die, what a brilliant idea, but you take any fancy moves on me rich boy and he will break the scrawny birds neck and you won't be able to identify Barbara even through dental records" The Joker menacingly smiles at the now still Batman

"You're going to kill them anyway Joker" He intensely replies

"Oh don't you like ruining the surprise, correct, I am going to kill them, Bruce's adopted circus brat and Batman's loyal, yet dim apprentice, but how I kill them is entirely up to you"

Batman glares at him silently

"Oh must I explain everything to you dimwits, I am going to offer you a chance to go out in a bang, heroically, majestically, funnily"

Batman glances to his right side in time to see Dick look at Batman and nod his head slightly to let Batman know that he was okay before Batman focuses all his attention on the grinning Joker glaring at him

"Not interested" Batman says before launching himself towards him and pounding him down

"Boss" The large man says as he turns from Dick who instantly uses his upper body to lift into the air so that his arms were by his waste as opposed to above his head, he quickly gets a skeleton key out of his belt and undoes his handcuffs before using the chains to summersault onto the man

"Sorry big guy, your boss is a little busy right now" Dick hits him with all his force either side of his temples then across the back of the neck until he falls to the ground before turning sharply around to assist Batman, forgetting everything about the past for now, after all this was to save Barbara and he knows that the best way to do that was to work alongside him. As he stands beside him, Batman feels a great sense of proud ness as they are both again fighting side by side

"Oh how sweet, the dynamic duo back for one night only… where's the tights and shorts?" Joker laughs as he stumbles to his feet before running out of the room

"Do you want to get him or shall I?" Dick quips as he applies his eyes mask

"No, you need to get Barbara, I'll find Joker"

Dick was about to retaliate at Batman's instructions before looking at him, he could tell that he was not doing this to prove his authority over him, he was doing this because it was the best way to save Barbara, so with a sharp nod of his head, he turns to the opposite direction to Batman and disappears from sight, only the silent burst of his grapple gun could be heard in the echoes. Then Batman continues in the search for the Joker.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Nightwing continues searching the factory floor, he never realized that it was this big from the outside, he use to walk past it almost everyday when it was in its glory, it use to be Gotham's version of Willy Wonkers chocolate factory, but now its more of their adaptation of the house of wax… hundreds of abandoned toys never reaching the sale floor, to live the rest of their existence disintegrating under the dust and damp, but yet still hold the same, sickening smile painted across their faces, in the way most of Jokers victims find themselves at the end.

He finds himself distracted by the pleasant, yet unnerving sound of a musical box being played around him, he turns sharply around, and then again so that he could try and get a fix of where the sound was coming from

"Woo hoo, up here handsome" A voice calls up from above him, Nightwing looks up to be greeted by a heavily armoured foot across his face. "Sorry, did you hurt yourself" A giggling voice calls down from him as he lies on his back, he attempts to get up before being violently pushed to the ground and then being given a less than tender kiss on the lips "You're so cute… it's a shame Joker wants you dead… I could find far better uses with you're body than dumping it in the river" but before Nightwing has chance to take hold of the situation, the woman summersaults almost as naturally as himself off him and landing perfectly on her feet

"Can I at least have you're name before you kill me?" Nightwing stands to his feet and opens wide his arms in a manner of invitation, he looks towards the woman, maybe slightly older than him, but by far not Batman's age, wearing a tight red and black all in one, based on a pack of cards with her naturally blonde hair scraped back into ridiculously high bunches, with her already pale complexion exaggerated by the thick black lipstick across her rather large grin.

She hesitates before giggling "Its Harley Quinn" then again launches her self at Nightwing who dodges out of the way and kicks her in the back although impressed with her fluidness of her moves as she jumps from her fallen position and heads towards him with the same determination as before.

"Where did you think of a name like that?" Nightwing teases as he shoves her out of the way and into a stand of old toys

"Do you always talk so much" Harley sounding irritated as she kicks the toys out of he way, he grin long since faded

"Afraid so" Nightwing tuts as he folds his arms, quietly prepared for her next launch

"And do you always hit women" She says as Nightwing restricts her arms behind her and pushes her back into his chest

"Only if they hit me first"

"Oh I like it when there rough!" Harley tilts her head high enough to try and take a look at Nightwing's expression

"Sorry" He apologises as he uses his free hand to apply pressure to the back of her neck and waits until her body stops fidgeting "I've got enough on my case without adding a derange masked woman to the list" He then handcuffs her unconscious body to a pillar, then knowing that she was secure he continues searching for Barbara.

It wasn't long before he finds her, bound and gagged on a table, still trying to struggle free with the last bit of energy left in her, she lets out a slight whimper as she hears the footsteps coming closer which she tries to cover up with more struggling

"Barbara" Dicks gentle voice freezes her as he gently removes the blindfold and ties

"Dick" she desperately grabs hold of him tight before she realises what has happened "I'm sorry, I don't know what I've done, Joker gave me truth serum, made me tell him things… I- I don't know what I've said" Barbara sobs into Nightwing's chest as he holds her tight

"Its alright, it not you're fault" He comforts her as he strokes her sort hair and holds her until her sobbing eases

"What have I done?" Barbara whispers as she looks up at Nightwing, with her large glassy green eyes

"Were…. were going to work it out" Continuously thinking how possibly they were going to work it out, although Joker is a mad man if he tells anyone what he knows they will carry out an investigation, and they will take extreme interest if it concerns Batman identity

"I- I thought he'd killed you, I wouldn't have known what id do if you were gone"

"I'm here… I promise I'm not going anywhere" he holds her tighter before helping her down from the table

"Does Dad know?" Barbara's worry clear on her face

"Batman's covered it up, he said Batgirl was in Bludahaven"

"Oh how sweet, reunited at last" Jokers voice enters the room

"Where's Batman?" Nightwing's deep voice, almost as dark as the Batman's own, droned into Jokers chest

"He's not here yet, which gives me plenty of time to get to know both of you"

"Don't think so" Nightwing steps in front of Barbara, protecting her behind him, Joker swallows deeply, even he was surprised of Nightwing size and strength as he stood there still

"Well it looks to me like you've bulked up since the short days kid" Joker tries to cover his concern with a joke "Shame I wont be able to put you to the test" Joker points behind Nightwing who is amazed to see Harley Quinn stood there, leaning against a pillar with the handcuffs on one of her fingers

"You're such a tease" She quips as she throws the handcuffs to the ground

"Stay out of the way" Nightwing pushes Barbara before being overpowered by Harley pouncing at him.

Barbara watches as Harley does everything she could possibly think of to try and bring Nightwing down, kicks, punches, scratches, bites, she even tried strangling him from behind with a chain, before he threw he over his head and into the ground where she stayed.

Nightwing stands again to his full height and smiles at Barbara who smiles back, but is soon wiped form her face as a look of horror replaces it as she watches Joker come into view behind Nightwing, aiming a gun at him

"Dick no!" Barbara screams as she runs towards him, Dick turns in the direction she was staring and jolts back as he sees Joker taking aim, but before he has chance to get out of the line of fire, Barbara is standing in front of him, he looks down in suprisement, but before he could react he hears the gun go off and Barbara jerking into him violently, her whole body shudders from the force of the bullet hitting her, she lets out a large, painful gasp, Dick falls to the floor with her as he holds her now lifeless body in his arms, he can begin to feel her still warm blood sinking in through his heavy armour he held her tighter.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Batman stands still as the piercing sound of the gun shot echoes through the dead silent factory, Batman's stomach knots at the thought of what affects that one shot has made to his life already, he runs quickly in the direction of the shot and is welcomed by the Jokers sickening laugh and the image of Nightwing holding Barbara's still body in his arms on the floor, Dick not hesitating to move as Joker takes another aim as he looks down the barrel of the gun, but this

On Batman's entry to the room, he is at first hit by Barbara's crumpled body being cradled in Nightwing's arms tenderly as he kneels unaware of his surroundings on the floor with her, not yet able to come to terms with what has just happened, he is then drawn to the sickening laughter infusing the room as Nightwing slowly looks up in the direction of the laughter

"Nightwing!" Batman shouts as he realises what Nightwing is looking at… down the barrel of Jokers gun, almost waiting, if not wanting joker to pull the trigger. But batman doesn't give Joker the chance as he lunges at him, forcing him to the ground. He grabs the gun out of the still laughing Jokers hand

"Oh look… I almost had a triple whammy!" Joker taunts him

Batman hits him across the face with the gun which silences him for a moment before he turns his face to Batman again and begins to break out into uncontrollable laughter as he licks the blood from the side of his mouth, Batman strikes him again, harder this time which fails to silence him, he looks at the gun and holds it although he was going to shoot Joker, who's laugh turns into more of a snigger

"You don't have the guts," He jeers

Batman hesitates with the gun in his hand, almost disturbed by the sheer impact of this weapon on his life, he then hold it in his fist and throws it far into the darkness of the room as possible, they both wait in silence until the distant clatter of the cold metal hits the concrete floor.

"See you're as yellowed bellied as the rest of us" Joker laughs up as Batman's sorrowful expression hardened

"I'm noting like you" Batman growls, almost animalistic as he sets on him, planting several punches into his face, as the joker continued to laugh, Batman wrapped his hands around the weakened Joker's throat and began to methodically pound his head into the concrete. After the first few blows, Joker was unconscious, but Bruce couldn't seem to stop. Over and over the mad man's head struck the cold unyielding hardness.

"Bruce… don't" Dicks quiet plead was heard.

"He shot you, killed Jason and now… I wont let him do it ever again!" Batman deep, determined breathing continued as Jokers head bounced off the concrete

"You're not like him" Dicks voice overly calm for the situation. Bruce turns for a moment as he watches Dick softly loosen his grip from around Barbara and lay her gently on the ground and briefly strokes her hair from he face before looking up at Bruce

Then around Joker's throat, Bruce's hands loosened and began to shake. He closed his eyes to attempt to shut everything out. "I swore that nothing was going to happen to any of you ever again"

With Dick still not thinking straight, he pondered over the right thing to say to Bruce on such a situation, even if he was clear thinking, he still would have had trouble to think of the right words that would relieve Bruce. "It's not you're fault Bruce…" Dick puts a firm reassuring hand on Batman's shoulder as he still arches over the Jokers unconscious body. "I… don't blame you for anything that has happened… none of us do"

Dick moves his hand from Batman's shoulder as he begins to stand, he turns to face Nightwing and ever so lightly nods his head in good jester and firmly sets his jaw. With Dick knowing Batman and Bruce for so many years now, he has become to accept that they are two very different people, but this is the only one time that he has actually been able to see the two pairs merge together as one, for if it wasn't for the cowl that Batman was wearing, which Dick was glad of, he'd be sure that he would see two ice blue eyes full with unshed tears. Neither Bruce nor Batman are the sort of man that show their emotions willingly, but Dick knows that he cares greatly for every one in his life and sees no joy out of torturing him any more than what he is already doing to himself over his 'so called' failures. The room enters an eerie silence for a split second before Batman finally turns to the situation at hand, he knew that Nightwing was in no fit state to lead the operation, and if he doesn't take control, Barbara could die and their identities would soon be discovered.

"Nightwing, I need you to get to Barbara's apartment and erase all information about us off her computer and all existence of us being in her life now" Batman's steel voice erupts over the silence

"No Bruce, I need to be with Barbara, need to get her to a hospital" Nightwing still shaken voice tries to add authority to it.

"No Dick, you know Barbara's apartment better than me, and you work more efficiently on a computer than I could, I will sort things out from this end… I need you to do this for me"

Dick began to grit his teeth, but decided against the idea of standing up to him at this point, Batman would not choose this as a good time to show who has the most authority, Barbara's life is at risk, and would be even more so if he restricts Batman from carrying out his plans. Dick reluctantly nods his head and turns to look at Barbara, who still lay there immobilized.

"Be safe" Nightwing whispers only loud enough for himself to hear, but Bruce notes the faint moving of his once wards mouth before he swiftly disappears into the shadows.

Once alone in the room, Batman turns to the aid of Barbara, who's pulse was barely recognizable, he quickly works on the gunshot wound, ensuring that the bleeding was reduced to an absolute minimum and that she was stable, one he was sure of that, he turns to the Joker, although still alive, he will also need urgent medical attention.

"Alfred" Batman rough voice calls over the radio

"Yes sir?" Alfred's noticeably worried voice replies

"I need you to prepare the necessary requirements and drop them off at the pick up point" Batman's mercenary voice orders. Knowing that Alfred would understand perfectly, he switched off the radio, knowing full well that Alfred would want to know what was happening, which he felt would be inappropriate to tell him over the radio.

Batman waits a few moments until informing Commissioner Gordon, giving Alfred the chance to get to the drop off point with enough time before switching channels on his radio.

"Huntress"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

When Nightwing finally reaches the roof opposite Barbara apartment block, he hesitates for a few moments. Even though knowing Barbara so well, he has never invaded Barbara's personal life and has never felt the need to, plus walking into their without her being by his side will be hard for him, he turns to the small backpack which he carries with him and quickly changes into civilian clothing and begins making his way down the stairwell and over to Barbara's apartment.

He stands by her door, just staring at it, resisting to go inside.

"Can I help you sir?" A soft voice replies behind him

"Oh um I'm… its my girlfriends apartment" He weakly replies

"Barbara… well she hasn't been in for a while now…. Is everything okay" The concern in he voice noticeable as she looks at this pale face young man, noticeably rough around the edges, unshaved and un-brushed hair and black rings around his eyes which look to be permanent

"Barbara" He whispers to himself, remembering the horrors of the night

"Yes Barbara…. Is okay" The lady edging slightly away from the shaken man

Dick finally comes back to reality and is aware of the lady's presence and question

"… She's in hospital"

"Oh my, is she alright?!"

"I'm… I'm not sure, I've just come to pick up some of her things and then I'm going down, damn I've forgotten my keys" He looks into his pockets, forgetting that he actually didn't own a set of keys for Barbara's apartment.

"I've got a set in my apartment, I'll go get them" The lady rushes into her door and closes it behind her.

Dick slouches against the wall and slides down until he was resting on the floor, the night was definitely taking its toll and it was no where near ending, he will be having a many sleepless night after this. He is brought around by the sound of sirens becoming clearer in the distance and is then welcomed by the presence of the fresh faced lady holding a set of keys

"Here you go"

"Thank you" He mumbles as he stumbles to his feet

"Would you like me to help you?" She could tell that he was distressed as his shaking hands accepted the keys from her

"No, thank you… I'll manage" He weakly smiles at her as he walks into the hallway of Barbara's apartment "I'll bring them back to you when I'm done" he gathers himself with great effort

The lady smiles reassuringly at him and turns into her owns door and shuts it behind her

Dick walks though the dark hall way into the dim lighted room, courtesy of the fallen lamp now resting on its side in the floor, Dick picks up the lamp and puts It in the correct place before turning on the main light, he looks around the room, no sighs of forced entry, and no sigh of a struggle. He looks around the entire flat, trying to find any clues to what happened, the full cup of now cold tea, still awaits to be drank on the side of her computer and is then drawn to the picture taking pride place on top of the computer monition, it was a photo of Barbara and himself taken last summer, when they were on a picnic, which they would take almost every Sunday down at Gotham's main park, he wondered if he would every see Barbara so happy ever again, whether he would see himself either, he reluctantly places the photo down and sits at the computer screen which still displays Jokers sick message which he soon erases, and he began to go through every file in her computer, ensuring that every source relating her to Batman or himself was gone, once complete, he moves on to every room of her apartment, collecting every item that would question her relationship with Batman, such as costumes, armour and Batmarangs. Once he was sure that the apartment would get the all clear, he continued to pack a separate bag, this time of toiletries, nightgowns and clean, un-bloodied clothes.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Batman waited in silence as he listened to the sound of the fast approaching sirens, both that of the cops and ambulances, he hoped that they weren't too late.

He stood patiently until the sirens turned silent at the entrance and the doors swung open, allowing a draft of cold air fill the room. The first person on entering the room, was no other than Jim Gordon, much to Batman's concern, although he had had time to reconcile the right thing to say to his dear friend once he knew that Barbara had been shot, once seeing Jim urgently approaching his only little girl and desperately holding her in his arms, the words seemed of little importance now.

"Gordon" Batman attempted to add compassion into his deep voice

"No Batman, not know" Gordon's quaky voice ordered him silent

"Okay the area is now secured, we need medical backup in here now" One of the officers who came in with Gordon calls over the radio to the mass of police cars out side

"No more secrets Batman" Gordon looks up at Batman with determined eyes "I want the truth… did you bring my daughter into this?" His voice rising with anger

Bruce knew that the truth could not be stalled any longer "Gordon…"

"Batman… I got here as fast as I could" A husky woman's voice rose from above them, both Batman and Gordon both looked up as the figure majestically landed softly by them

"I'm sorry, I left as soon as Nightwing contacted me, Bludahaven is a nasty place to get out of" She desperately apologies, both to Batman and Gordon over Barbara's misfortune, as Gordon looked at her amazed

"Batgirl!?" Gordon stammered

"Commissioner Gordon, I feel although this is part of my fault" She leans down and places a soft hand on his "If there's anything I can do for you" She softly offers as she rises to stand proudly beside Batman, where she felt she belonged

Gordon hesitates for a moment, looking at Barbara and then Batgirl, he could see the obvious resemblance between the two girls, their physique, their complexions, right down to their fiery red hair, If only for her almost violet eyes, they could have been twins, which was why he could clearly see Joker being mistaken, although working with Batman closely for many years now, this had been the first time that he had ever met the mysterious Batgirl face to face, it was the first time also that he had ever lost faith in Batman and had been wrong over something he felt so certain about.

"Batman… I owe you an apology I…."

"Don't Jim… you will never have to apologise to me, you were only looking out for your daughter… in the same way I would"

"Thank you" he whispers as he kisses Barbara on the head before standing up, allowing the medics to carry out their work fully

"You shouldn't thank me Jim, this, this should never have happened in the first place"

Gordon turns to face Batman, but before having chance to reply, he had already disappeared, along with Batgirl.

After ensuing that they were both clear of the factory, Batman stops on a convenient roof, waiting for the landing of his partner, he turns to look as she lands behind him, the image of her standing in front of him makes his stomach knot, as seeing the costume being worn proudly by someone else other than Barbara seemed wrong. She looked over at him, she thought about how happy she felt when she put on the costume, that she felt she had finally been accepted, that this might be a permanent fix or that Batman would finally accept that she would be a vital part of the team. But she knew that there was nothing joyous about wearing the costume on such an occasion

"Batman… are you alright?" She edges wearingly towards him, knowing all to well the power of his wrath from past experiences

She stands, the only thing breaking the silence was the gentle breeze, and she now knew where Nightwing gets his whole strong silent act from.

"Thank you" Was the only thing he could utter for now

"It's fine, it's the least I could do, I have felt I have needed to make thing up with you, we have never been, on…. understanding terms have we?" She attempts to smile at him, which falls on cold shoulders. "How long do you want me to wear the suit?"

"Wear it home, then never again unless I tell you too, I don't want Nightwing to see you in the suit, nor any one else" Batman abruptly replies

Huntress nods in notification as descents to the edge of the building, was it Batgirl who caused Nightwing to fall into her arms… It must have been, he made strict orders for him not to see her like this. Barbara Gordon, the commissioner's daughter who stole his heart which she longed to have. She felt the only way to be certain were to find Nightwing.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Its didn't take her long to find him, all in all about forty minutes, she respected Batman's wishes for Nightwing not to see her dressed up as Batgirl, although she rather did like the auburn wig, she made a detour to her apartment and quickly changed into her own vigilante costume and then headed to the place where she would often meet Nightwing. She was relieved to see him there, she could just make out his blurred outline because of the rain but she knew it was him. She thought carefully about how to approach him correctly, half hoping he would hear her rustling feet and he would just call her over, but even if he did know she was here, he wasn't letting on.

She edged just as wearingly as she did with Batman; she knew that if the Dark Night brought him up that he deserves the same respect.

"Nightwing?" She quietly calls out to him

"I thought I would find you here" She said smiling reassuringly to his back, she could see his muscles tensing through the suit at her un-welcomed voice. "Do you want to talk?" She sympathetically placed her hand gently on his shoulder and could feel his body shaking; she wasn't sure whether it was from the cold, shock, anger or sadness.

Nightwing shakily drew breath out of necessity, Huntress watched his face as she moved around, She moves her hand slowly away and rests it in her lap as she knelt beside him and looked for the right words, she then notices that he was unmasked, even though in the darkness, she could just make out the shape of his eyes, he stomached turned at the though that he might look up and that she could gaze deep into his eyes, but even though he was unmasked, with the rain pouring down his face it was near impossible to see if he was crying.

"Look, you seem cold…. here" She removes her cape and caringly wraps it around his shoulders, hoping for a response, a thank you or a get lost, anything bar this horrible trance he seems to be in. "Why don't we go somewhere out of this rain?"

"Why?" Nightwing whispered out

"Why? because I'm getting my uniform wet and I don't want to have a cold for going back to work after half term!" Huntress tries to lighten the mood but to no prevail

"Why'd she do it?" He weakly questions himself, like a confused child

"I can't tell you that Nightwing, I wish I could" She holds both his arms reassuringly "But it'll be okay, well work things out, make it right"

"That shot… it was meant for me, it should of been me" His gentle whisper trailed off with the wind, Huntress strained to hear it but couldn't quite make it out.

"Nightwing… tell me what happened please…" She sat anxiously as he stared out over the city. "Please?… tell me?" Her voice quaking, as she looked at him, clearly distraught.

"I'm with you," he gently mumbles to himself, so much so, Huntress was unaware of what he was repeatedly saying.

"I'm here Nightwing, let me help" She takes old of his arm and tightens her hold once Nightwing didn't attempt to move away trying to get a response

"Don't leave me… please don't leave me" His words becoming more understandable

"Shhhh, I'm here" Huntress attempts to sooth him as he subconsciously leans into him as she wraps her arms around him.

"God… please don't leave me… I love you" He nuzzles his head into his own protective chest as he begins to cry silently, the only way she knew this was by his jerking movements.

"Its okay shhh its okay" She begins to gently rock him, which seemed to ease him as he slowly sits up and his lowered head begins to rise.

Her heart begins pounding rapidly as his eyebrows begin to appear from beneath his tousled hair and then large, glassy blue eyes meet her own, she never though anyone could look so handsome when crying, but he definitely did and without thinking she leaned into kiss him, before hesitating… she knew this wasn't the right time, he was upset and this isn't going to help, but she was suddenly brought back to reality when he suddenly leans in and kisses her passionately, Huntress instantly wraps her arms tightly around his neck and back before kissing him harder, almost desperately as he wraps his arms around her torso in a tight embrace. Huntress rocks slightly, using her leg muscles to push Nightwing back so that he was lying on the rooftop as she continued kissing him, his hands caressing her. She hesitated slightly and looked at him for guidance as she began wrapping her fingers under his Kevlar cladded chest, exposing a little flesh, unsure if she was moving too fast. Nightwing smiled and gently rested his un-gloved hand against her cheek and nods his head before leaning towards her and kissing her more intensely before Huntress continues.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Alfred" Batman's deep and methodical voice sounds over the COM link

"Sir, is everything alright?" The concern and desperation in the Butlers well-spoken English accent evident

Batman knew that he should have reported back to him sooner, it had been hours since Batman had ordered him to take the suit to Huntress, neither of them aware of what was really going on, he knew he would be worried for Barbara, for Dick and himself, he had already lost Jason and he knew that it would be playing on his dear friends mind once he knew Joker had taken Barbara. He also knew that the reason he hadn't communicated with Alfred was because of that, he didn't wish to put more strain on the old man who cared so much for them all, like although they were all his biological family, which was why he couldn't bring himself to tell him what had happened, he would have to think of the right way of telling him, he knew that he should tell him face to face, to be there when he broke the news that Barbara might not make it, but he felt it too hard, although he wished to be, he was never a comforting man, never one to hang around bad news and so felt it better to tell him over the com link to allow him time to himself before his returning.

"No Alfred, Barbara has been shot, she unconscious and the medics are doing all they can, I'm staying out Alfred, I'll contact you with any changes" He then abruptly turned off the link, he couldn't face questioning although he knew Alfred would do very little of that.

Alfred stood silently over the computer down in the cave listening to the hissing over the com link, he didn't feel anger over Bruce's abruptness and his seemingly lack of care ness as he know that it is by far that. Alfred has known Bruce and Batman for all their lives ad has become aware of the lack of capability for dealing with grief they both hold, Bruce with the loss of his parents and the failed relationship with Dick and Batman with the loss of the Robins and quite possibly now Batgirl. Alfred has come too see their similarities of dealing with grief, guilt, happiness, nearly every emotion bar anger Alfred has also watched over the years the same emotions slowly getting locked away to prevent any more hurt, no Alfred doesn't feel anger towards his Master, only sorrow.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Nightwing stirs awake reluctantly in the unfamiliar surroundings of someone else's bedroom. He pulls himself up wearingly so that he was in a sat position on the bed, he must have finally and reluctantly drifted off to sleep, or some one had dosed him with a heavy sedative, he could still feel the affects as he attempted to stand on his weak legs. He grudgingly turned and gazed tiredly into the full-length mirror situated along side the door into the hallway, the man looking at him seemed a stranger- tousled and weary.

The past night had taken a heavy toll on him, he was strongly aware of that, but didn't appreciate seeing the proof; the only fact now was that anyone who saw him would know also.

As he became slowly more aware of the becoming familiar surroundings, he was able to navigate himself through the apartment more effectively, finding himself drawn towards the sound of a radio being played, on opening the door, he was welcomed by Helena dancing whilst happily cleaning away old magazines that were situated on the coffee table, he knew they were from there because he had read them on previous visits. "_Why are you reading woman magazines Nightwing? Surely you would rather read this mornings paper?"_

"_Nah, not into the news, just a load of gossip… this on the other hand, the newest celebrity scandal is quite intriguing!"_

Nightwing remembers most of his visits here positively, never having a bad word against each other, much to Batman's protest if he knew, part of Nightwing thought maybe that's why he does what he does with Huntress, to show Batman that he isn't under his command, even if he doesn't know, Nightwing still feels he's breaking some un-told rule that he doesn't abide by any more. Nightwing watches Helena silently, unaware to her for a few minutes. On the physical side of a relationship they are more than a suitable match, but on the emotional side of things, it just isn't there in the same way Barbara was to him _'Stop it Grayson, don't do this, you've got too much at stake here, gotta find out how Barbara is"_

"Hey there sleepy head" Helena stops rearranging the pillows from where she slept on them the night before and looks at Nightwing, the sedatives she had slipped into his drink must have worked.

"Has any one called," He gruffly answers

"Your link hasn't gone off no… look why don't you have something to eat and then we can work out what were going to do" She hastily moves towards Nightwing edging him to sit down. His usually sharp blue eyes looked hazy and drawn and a dark stubble was shrouding his strong jaw and chin. She knew that she would have to be careful around him, until he has had time to accept what has happened.

"No… I don't eat Breakfast," He grumbled, he knew that she was trying to help but he just needed to get out and see Barbara.

"Well why don't you go have a shower then, there not going to let you into the hospital looking like that and you might want to put some civilian clothes on" She says as she watches him put on his Nightwing suit back on before he turns to face her, his blue eyes holding some emotion that she was unsure of.

"You have spoken to him…. haven't you… where is she?" He rushes to her and grabs her by both arms

"I haven't…. I swear Nightwing, I just assumed that if she had been shot that a hospital would be the first place they would take her" She worryingly flinches as Nightwing stares at her before letting go

Nightwing turns his back to her and readying to leave before stopping in his tracks, he notices something familiar, something that shouldn't be here, Huntress gasps as he heads for the one thing that she promised Batman that he wouldn't see

"Nightwing… I can explain," She shakily whispers as he holds the Batgirl suit and hairpiece in his hands

"What are you doing with this" He tries hard to suppress the exploding anger inside him

"Please, let me explain, it's not what you think"

"What do I think Huntress, that you are already preparing your self to replace Batgirl"?

"No! I wouldn't do that!" The tears welling in her eyes

"Why not! You've wanted to be in the team for so long, so badly, I bet you couldn't of thought of a better way to have done this could you!"

"No, I wouldn't hurt her, I don't want it that much" Her tears freely flowing down her face

"And that's why you went with me wasn't it, hoping that I would convince Batman to have you on the team now that Barbara's… you though that if I had feelings for you that it would make it all the easier for me to accept you as Batgirl… wasn't it!"

"Its nothing like that Nightwing, I want to be with you, I don't care about being in the team"

"Look Batman doesn't want you and now neither do I… you will never be Batgirl, you will never be Barbara!" He shouts before slamming the door behind him

"Nightwing… don't go please!" She collapses onto the couch behind her as she continues to cry. "Please!"


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

"How is she?" Jims desperate voice whispers through the quiet corridor outside of Barbara's hospital room.

"She still very unstable, we can't take her down to theatre until she stabilizes" The Doctors sincere voice replies to him as he puts pinches the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb "Look… Commissioner Gordon…"

"Jim"

"Jim… It's been a long night, for all of us, there's nothing else we can do here until she is stable, and we can't even bring her round until that point…. Why don't you take a rest in the family lounge, I will tell the nurses where you are and they can contact you as soon as there is any change"

"I'd… I'd rather stay in with my daughter, if that is okay Doctor?" His voice trails off as he turns back towards the room

The Doctor nods compassionately to Gordon before going down the corridor to clock off.

Gordon opens the door to Barbara; the only thing that was lighting the dim room was the glow from the many monitors attached to his daughter. Jim walks towards her hesitantly and lightly touches her cold, fragile face, although it was so delicate that it would break, her already pale complexion looked almost grey and her vibrant red hair looked dull against the pure white pillow.

"Oh Barbara" He whimpered out before sitting helplessly down on the chair next to the bed, the beeping sound surrounding the room gave him a much comforting reassurance that she was still alive as he drifted off to sleep, with his hand firmly entwined with hers.

***

"Commissioner Gordon" A soft voice awoke him as he lifted his had from the guard rail on the bed

"Mmmm yes?"

"Barbara has begun to co operate so we are going to take her down to theatre to begin surgery"

"Oh, right… good" He mumbles as he straightens his glasses on his face

"I think the surgeon would like to talk to you before he begins, would you like to follow me please"

"Sure… thank you" As he begins to fully awake as he stands from his sat position and turns to kiss Barbara gently on the forehead "Everything is going to be okay plum" he whispers before following the nurse outside the door.

***

"Commissioner Gordon, it's a pleasure to meet you, I only wish it was under better circumstances" The Young surgeon, about Barbara's age welcomes him into his office with a firm shake of the hand and sits back behind his desk, Gordon notes at how differently it feels to be sat on the other side of a desk and how helpless and insufficient he was to this case.

"Yes… you and me both"

"Of course… now as you are aware we are able to carry out the surgery which will enable us to remove the bullet… unfortunately from the resent x-rays carried out on Barbara they have shown a few complications"

"Complications? Of what kind"

"As we all hoped that the bullet only entered into her muscle, causing minor damage to the tissues which is easily fixed"

"But that isn't the case… is it?"

"I'm afraid not Sir, the range must have been so close, the bullet entered straight through the muscle and has lodges itself between two vertebrates in her spine"

"Oh my god" He pleads into his hands "Is there any chance of a full recovery?"

"I know that you only expect the truth and I wouldn't want to give you false hope, the fact is that we are unsure at how badly the spine is damaged and the chances are that once we get an inside look at the damage, we might not be able to repair the nerve endings, there's a possibility Gordon, that we are probably not going to be able to give back full feeling to her legs, if any at all"

"Is there not anything you can try, anything… I'm sure she would want you to try all the possibilities" He desperately pleads for hope, for his sake and Barbara's

"We will try the best we can, you can be assure of that Gordon, I'm just telling you how it is"

"I know… and I wouldn't want it any other way"

"I'm sorry"

"Thank you Doctor" He unenthusiastically replies as he staggers out of the chair and shuts the door behind him.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty- Six

Batman solemnly enters the cave, aware that Alfred was already waiting for him at the entrance to where Batman would have to pass in order to enter the main of the cave. He lets out a deep sight as he begins walking towards the now fragile looking butler, each step becoming heavier and harder to take as he became closer to his dear friend

"Sir?" Alfred urgently asked him once he became within talking range

"Not now Alfred" He abruptly cut the air with his hand then silently growls under the cowl "I'm injured and need mending"

Alfred assesses the minor laceration on his arm, one that Batman would usually take care of himself, Alfred was unsure of why Batman wanted him to look at the cut, whether he sustained it purposely so that he could get him to see to it, meaning that the question about what happened would have to be out on hold or whether he needed some one to take care of him, to show him that there was someone there to care for him once he got back from his patrols

"Its only a scratch compared to your past injuries Master Bruce, these things have a tendency to mend themselves" Referring both his physical and emotional status

"I wish that were only true Alfred" Knowing what Alfred meant by his last comment

"I am aware that you do not wish to talk in detail of the goings on last night, but can you give me something… just to ease my own worries?"

"There is nothing that I can tell you that would help with your concerns for Barbara Alfred, and the only reason I don't wish to talk in detail about last night is simply because I do not know any of the finer details bar that Barbara was shot by the Joker because he had reason to suspect that she was Batgirl, reasons that he was correct in thinking because of my doings"

"Your doings Sir? I do not believe you gave him any reason to suspect that she was Batgirl"

"She took hardware from the bank back to her apartment, I suspect that he had a tracer on it, hoping that it would lead him to me, but it lead him to Barbara, I was the one that put her in danger, it was my fault" He slammed his hand on the wall aside of him "Just like Jason" he whispers to himself

"You are being too hard on yourself Master Bruce… you were not expected to know what is going to happen before it does, you are not super human, you are only a man"

"Your right Alfred, I am only a man and I don't have a right to drag other un- powered civilians into my own war, too much has happened… never again" He mumbles as he removes himself reluctantly from his sat position and heads out of the cave

As he reaches the stone stairs, he was un- welcomingly confronted by a dark silhouette of a man, slightly smaller in size than himself but none the less as powerful as he hits him, forcing Bruce to back up causing him to miss his stepping behind him and fall down the flight of stairs. He lifts his head to look as the figure moves down the steps towards him, Bruce, for the first time since he saw Joe Chill kill his parents felt his heart thumping as the man lifted him up with ease, but still managing to maintain his composure, he was able to look into his eyes locking onto him, he doesn't bother to retaliate as he is thrown to the ground and then lifted up again, he could see an arm in the shadows reeling back ready to plant another punch into his already bloodied face, before he stops in mid air and pulls Bruce in closer to him so that Bruce's ear was by his mouth so that only they could hear

"I don't care about any of the flimsy oaths you made me swear to, which now I come to think about it only really covered you own back, I will now swear that if Barbara dies I will…."

"That's enough Master Dick" Alfred shouts from the shadows as he lunges towards his back, hitting him across the head "I will not allow you to make false allegation that you will regret"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty- Seven

The sound of methodical bleeping was the first thing to make her aware that she was coming around, her sense of smell came next, the sickening odour of a clinical hospital made her stomach turn, then her blurry vision came back.

"Barbara honey, Barbara can you hear me?… Nurse she's coming around! Barbara?"

"Mmmm yeah" Her weak voice trembled as she answered her anxious father

"Thank God! Honey take it easy, how are you feeling?" Jim takes hold of her clammy hand and held it tightly, although she tried to hold his, she was too weak to muscle.

"Bad" She manages to force out "aches every… where" As she does a quick check of herself, something Batman taught her to do when she first began working with him, but as she does a flow of confusion and panic overwhelms her "legs… don't hurt… why?"

"Oh Barbara honey…" Barbara was all too aware of the emotion in his voice "The surgeons tried everything, they honestly did… but, but when Jo… when you were shot, the bullet hit your spine.. Oh hon.." Jim couldn't carry on, although he was trying so hard to keep it together, not to make her worry any more than what she was, he couldn't bare to tell her that she could never walk again, something Barbara already knew from the moment she woke up, she felt something wasn't right and was glad that her father couldn't tell her exactly so that he couldn't seal her fate.

"Its okay dad" Her own voice now quivering as she looked at her father crying beside her, she had never seen him cry before, not even when her mother died "I know" She smiled at him reassuringly as she tried to mask her own sorrow but quietly wept as her father held her in his arms tightly.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty- Eight

Nightwing didn't want to wake up from the darkness, didn't want to face what he knew was there, to accept the consequences of his actions, but he knew he couldn't lie there forever and so he moved and the painful headache began to make itself known, he began to set himself to adjusting to the darkness of the cave but was instead dazed by the sunlight swimming through open windows. He turns around quickly, noting the throbbing at the back of his head which brought him down the night before and found him self in familiar surroundings, somewhere he hasn't been for a long time, some where he use to call home.

He stood wearingly from the bed and walked stealthily out of the bedroom which had a wooden Robin hung on the door, he makes his way quickly down the large flight of stairs and into the large foyer of Wayne Manor, he looks around for any sign of movement

"Master Dick, glad to see you are awake, thought you might be needing some of these" Alfred's voice came as a surprise to Dick, he doesn't know how he does it, but he is possibly the only other man bar Batman who can walk up to him unnoticed.

"Uh… thanks" Dick accepts the large glass of dissolvable aspirin from Alfred and downed it, quickly covering up his dissatisfaction of the awful taste. "Look Alfred, I just want to…"

"As long as you can forgive me for my actions last night as well, I cannot see why we cannot move on from this" Alfred interrupts him before smiling at him

"Thanks Alfred"

"No need to thank me master Richard

"I'm going to the hospital, are you coming?" A deep voice enters the room and his presents adds an unwelcome presents

"To the hospital… to see Barbara?"

"Are you coming?" The impatient man asks again

Dick hesitates for a moment "… No" He then pushes past Bruce and goes back to his room

"Keep an eye on him Alfred" Trying hard to mask his concern

"Yes sir"


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty- Nine

Its not often Bruce Wayne visits the hospital, many think it is because he think of himself to be too snobbish than to be seen in a public hospital and has his own health service, others think it because he hasn't got any friends or family close enough to ever have to visit them, the real reason is simply he doesn't like hospitals, too much death for his liking, deaths that he has no control over.

He awkwardly walks through the miserable corridors, trying hard to be invisible to the others around him, which is a lot harder than when he is Batman lurking in the shadows. It wasn't long before he reaches his destination, but he found it a lot harder than he was expecting to enter it. He was so close that he could hear the beeping of the monitors but didn't want to move enough to be able to see what was on the other side of the doorway.

"Bruce?"

"Oh… Gordon"

"Come in please, its so good to see you" Gordon's pale complexion greeted his good friend with relief, it has bee a while since he had seen any one other that the nurses and doctors around Barbara and so Bruce was here for Gordon as much as he was for Barbara

"How is she?" Bruce gingerly enters the room although managing to cover his awkwardness, after all it was his entire fault this ever happened to her if only…

"She's resting at the moment, she had a tough few days, especially after the operation and everything" Gordon sighs and brushes her hair from her face

"How did it go… the operation?" Bruce didn't really want or need to ask how well it went, it didn't take him long to realise that the bullet had hit her spine but thought maybe Gordon may need to talk, it was the least he could do after everything

"Not well Bruce, there was nothing they could do to repair the nerve ending in her spine, she's lost all sensation in her legs… she snot going to be able to walk again" Gordon bit heavily on his lip to compose himself

"Gordon, I'm sorry"

"There's nothing you could do Bruce you weren't there"

Bruce hesitates for a moment, it was his fault and this was probably the only chance he could have to apologise for what happened to his daughter "But if I was there, I would have made sure that it wouldn't happen, but we cant be everywhere Jim, sometimes bad things just happen, things that neither you or myself could stop, its just the flaws of being human"

"I know Bruce, thanks"

"How did she take the news?"

"Good, well you know, she put up the front that she always does, but I know that's its hit her hard, but she'll cope, my daughters a tough girl Bruce, she'll cope"

"I'm sure she will Jim, and you, are you alright?" Bruce rests a firm, reassuring hand on Gordon's shoulder.

"I'll manage Bruce, nothing can be as bad as what Barbara will be going through"

"Youre worn out Jim, you need a break, get out of the hospital for a while… why don't you go home, have a shower, change of clothes, you'll feel a lot better, I'll stay with Barbara"

"I can't expect you to stay here on your own, it wouldn't seem fair"

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to Jim, Alfred will give you a lift" His offer left no room for discussion and so Jim accepted his offer and left soon after.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

Dick stayed in his room most of the day, frustrated in himself for refusing to go to the hospital with Bruce. He knew he should have just gone, got the first visit over with and the others would become easier over time, they may have even been able to patch up their relationship. Even though they were certain to themselves that they had no feelings for each other, he knew that wasn't true, she'd rather have risked her own life in order to save his, and he wouldn't be feeling this guilt that was hurting so much that he though he would never be able to subside it, but then last night kicked in… if he loved her as much as he was sure he did then why was he with Huntress again, when Barbara needed him, he wasn't there.

"Master Dick, is everything okay Sir?" Alfred's voice brought him back from his daydream after arriving home after taking Gordon home

"Me, yeah sure, why?" He turns away from Alfred to look out of the window as he knew, if he didn't already that is Alfred took one look at him he would needn't have asked the question

"Well I left for the hospital about an hour ago and you still haven't moved from that spot, just wondering what you were thinking about that's all?"

"Believe me Alf… you don't want to know what's going on in here" He says tapping his head with his finger

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure of that Master Dick" He tuts "Don't you know me at all sir?"

"A thought shared and everything right?" Dick mockingly laughs, trying to disguise his true feelings

"Something like that Sir… well?" He tentatively pushed for an answer

Alfred has know Dick for too for him to be able to cover something up when it was wrong, and Dick knew that "There's lots going on at the mo Alf, but I'm sorting through it, I can deal with it by myself"

"Beg me for saying this Sir, but you don't look like a man who has a 'grip' of himself, if that's what you say"

"I said I'm dealing with it… please," His painful voice pleads with Alfred and it tore through the older mans stomach to see the boys blue eyes filling with tears as he desperately tried to cover up the fact it was hurting him so much

"I'm sorry Sir, but I cannot walk away when you are in this state"

Dick was never someone who would mask his true feelings or emotions for anything. He would shout at Batman when he thought he was right, he would cry if something saddened him and he would talk about anything that troubled him, all these things in the beginning Alfred found hard to deal with, from bringing up Bruce who had grown up with managing his own emotions or locking them away completely, Dick had come as a breath of fresh air, a normal young boy who needed a shoulder to cry on, but that soon began to fade once he became Robin and now Alfred feared that he may never be able to help Dick again, just like Bruce.

"You can Alfred" His saddened eyes became agitated by Alfred's reluctance to leave. But Alfred didn't draw back from the glint in the young mans eyes; he had seen it all before and worst.

"Remember when you first arrived here after you parents died, you came to me and told me how you felt, how much you missed them and how you couldn't possibly go on with out them? Can you remember what I said to you?" He paused to see the response from Dick "I promised you that any problems you ever had I would be there for you and we would work through each and every one of them together… correct?"

Dick was surprised that Alfred remembered, Dick had never forgotten the promise, which was the reason he would always go to Alfred when he needed to talk, but over the years the promise slowly began to fade away and his talks with Alfred became less and less as the years went by and finally came to a stop when he moved to Bludahaven which was when he began to turn into the man that he swore he would never become.

"I remember Alfred" He breaks a weak smile

"Then tell me…"


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Barbara realised she must have dozed off as she stirred awake to a dusk filled room, she was glad that the drugs must have started kicking in as it was the most rest she can remember having since arriving here, but her peace soon turned to a felling of being watched as she glanced around the seemingly empty room, she sensed some one was there

"Dad?" She weakly croaks out into the darkened room but even before calling out she had already fixed a location of the invader in her room stood comfortably in the dark corner of the room

"No Barbara it's me" She hears the voice trailing off from the corner of the room

Barbara closes and opens her eyes as she tried to adjust he already blurred vision to the dark room, she follows the strong outline of the familiar body, seemingly peaceful in the awkward darkness emerge from them into the light of her over head lamp so that he was stood beside her

"Bruce?…. God what are you doing here? What time is it?"

"Eight… I was waiting for you to wake up" His solemn voice replies

"Well why didn't you turn the light on?" She sarcastically remark trying to make light of the situation knowing that he is a man of the night quite literately

Bruce allows a moment of silence before carrying on "How are you feeling?"

"Fine… well no, not fine, you know, wait… no you wouldn't know because neither do I" She sighs and rest her head in her hand, trying to prevent herself from shedding tears "Every one keeps asking me how I am and I don't have a clue what to say to them, I cant explain how I feel I mean I just found out I'll never be able to walk again but what can I say to people other than… 'I'm doing great, making the best of a bad situation'" Her voice beginning to crack under emotion as she rest back and continues nibbling at her nails

"It will take time, you'll soon adapt to the situation" Bruce tries to use the little bit of compassion he has left to give to comfort Barbara's desperate state

"Yeah easy for you to say youre not the one going to be stuck in the wheel chair are you!?" An annoyance becomes apparent in her voice, something that Bruce wasn't prepared to deal with and so ignored it and got on with the task at hand

"When the Joker shot you, can you remember what happened?"

Barbara takes a deep breath and exhaled, she knew Bruce wasn't subtle but she though he would have waited until she was at least stable before starting to interrogate about the night of the shooting.

"Jeeze, couldn't you have at least waited until I was out of intensive care!"

"The sooner this is done…."

"Yeah save the speeches Bruce" She irritably replies

She knew it would have to be done, she was going to, in time have to be interviewed by the police and give a statement, commenting on whether or not she was aware that Batman and Nightwing were there and whether she had any links to the vigilantes and exactly what happened from the moment she was abducted. Unfortunately for her he remembered everything that happened that night, every sick and twisted thing Joker did to her until the moment Nightwing was cradling her in his arms begging her not to go before the world around her went black.

"Joker shot me alright, that's all that I can remember, now if that's all you wanted?

"I understand" Bruce was aware that she was not yet prepared to discuss in detail about her ordeal, something he should have already known and will have to accept until she is ready to talk or until he can get Dick calm enough to explain his account of that particular night.

"But that's not all I came here for" Bruce's deep voice arose from the shadows again, she hadn't even notice his move from her bedside back to the corner, something she wasn't surprised she'd missed

"Well… if you came here because you want me to clear your conscience, you couldn't have prevented it, no one could have and don't worry I know I'm not suppose to know anything about you or the rest of them so I wont be mentioning it…. Happy?" Barbara then continued to bite the corner of her cheek, a habit she picked up when she'd see Nightwing arguing with Batman, a method that helped calm him.

"There's something I need to discuss with you" Un-comfortable with the way the conversation was heading

Barbara also knew what was coming next, something that she also hoped that he would wait to ask her or even just go ahead with his own decision

"Its about Batgirl right?" It was more painful for her to talk about this that it was about Joker. "Well obviously I am going to have to stand down as a applicant"

"I am aware of that, therefore I have made temporary arrangement and was hoping for your views on the future of the role"

"Wait… temporary arrangements what exactly do you mean?"

"I had to cover up you identity as Batgirl as quickly as possible without suspicion"

"You've already replaced me haven't you?" She said through her grinding teeth

"For the time being until any permanent arrangements have been agreed"

"Who with? Catwoman, Star fire who?"

"I don't feel it necessary to tell you who at this stage" Bruce genuinely didn't want to aggravate her any more at this period of her healing and didn't want to cause any further arguments between them which may draw attention to their discussion

"Don't patronize me Bruce, you didn't come here to see how I was, you didn't even come here for my opinion so just come out with it and tell me what you have decided" Barbara's patience and temper rapidly wearing thin

"Huntress" Bruce un-emotionally replies although displeased that he had to tell her under these circumstances, he knew there was no other way

"Huntress?! Bruce how could you! Of all the people, you know how I feel about her she goes against every thing I… we believe in!" She spat

"Its what needed to be done, we needed to keep Batgirl in operation otherwise there would have been too many questions, Huntress was the best suitable candidate, not only is she the correct build, she has already trained with me and can perform Batgirls moves effortlessly, and I needed someone who could take over instantaneously"

"But she's a killer… she'll murder in cold blood without a second hesitation, that's why you threw her off the team in the first place!"

"I don't have the time to re- train someone else to be just like you when I already have some one" Bruce snaps back in his insulting way of dealing with conflictions

"How dare you! Don't ever compare me to her! Get out!" Barbara shouts at him as she throws her arm pointing at the door

"Barbara I though we would be able to discuss this like adults" Bruce calmly responded

"No Bruce, if you wanted to discuss this like adults you would have waited until I was out of intensive care besides discussion isn't in your vocabulary, you wanted me to accept your decision and move on, just like you hope everyone else will in your life… move on, well I'm sorry Bruce but that just isn't going to happen"

An angry silence sweeps the room, something Bruce was becoming quite accustomed too as the years went by

"I will call and let your father know that I had to leave on emergent business"

"Fine Bruce... and next time, just send me a card because I don't want to ever have to see you again" Barbara bitterly shouts out to the empty darkness.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty- Two

Both Alfred and Dick sat silently in the darkening room for minutes, Dick hesitating with every breath to speak, yet Alfred continued to sit patiently, accepting that what has happened in the past couple of days and even before then has deeply affected the young man and knows that it will take him time to recover, something Bruce never quite managed.

But even for Alfred the constant drone of the ticking Grandfather clock began to get the better of his patience though by the look of Dick, something he was utterly unaware of.

"Sir you need to tell me what your thinking now, this is no fit state for a man like yourself to be in"

"Yes Alfred, yes your right, I shouldn't be like this… got to be strong, for all of us" Dick began mumbling which was a relief to Alfred from the silence

"So you know its better to talk about your feelings, its not good to keep them to yourself, especially when you have someone to share them with" Alfred supportive voice reassured him

"I will only end up like Bruce if I don't wont I? I don't ever want to be like him… I wont" Dick slams his fist on the arm of the chair

"Bruce is a good man Dick, you know that deep down, even if you wont admit it to yourself, I'll admit his outlook on life isn't the best, but there are far worst people out there than him"

"Like the Joker" Dick spits through his teeth

"Yes" Alfred solemnly replies knowing what a painful reminder that name has brought to the manor over the years

"Why hasn't Batman ever brought him down, I mean he's had plenty of opportunities to do so and no one would think bad of him, especially after Jason, I mean if he had, Barbara would never have been shot… God what if she dies Alfred it will be all my fault!" Dick pleads for an answer, tears freely flowing as he cradles his head in his hands "I might have killed her" He whispers

"No Dick Barbara isn't going to go anywhere, she will live, if only you had gone to see her you would have known that by know instead of torturing yourself like you are know"

"If she hadn't have jumped in front of me, god why didn't I react, should have pushed her out of the way, my suit would have protected me from serious injury" Dick face begins to drain of colour, oblivious of Alfred talking

"Sir, Sir" Alfred grabs Dick by the shoulders and gently shook him "Sir did you hear me… I said that she will be alright, why don't we go to the hospital… we can go and see her, just me and you?"

"I couldn't.. Can't, it wouldn't seem fair, wouldn't be right, I've already done so much to hurt her, I don't want to do that to her any more"

"Your break-up wasn't the nicest I will be the first to admit but everyone learns the errors in their ways, I'm sure if you both discussed you feelings you would work it out, I'm not saying that it wouldn't take time, but I'm sure as I have ever been that you will"

"No Alfred, it wont, i've lost my chance, and she's never going to give me a third"

"A third attempt sir?" Alfred's puzzled voice quizzed

"She came to see me couple of nights ago, she broke in to my apartment and started going through my stuff, she didn't realize I was there"

"Did you show yourself"?

"Eventually, she was surprised to see me let's just say, that I regret doing as well"

"She came for a reason obviously"

"Yeah, she didn't come to just snoop, there was a reason"

"What?"

"It was a year since I left Gotham, since we broke up, she came to try and save our relationship, but I threw it in her face, I told her I didn't want her, she left soon after that… she was so upset Alfred, I hated myself after doing that and I knew then there wouldn't be another chance, if I had just talked to her we could have worked it out, I knew we could but I just wouldn't let it happen. That was the last time I saw her before last night"

"I'm sure she is now aware of how bad you must have felt about what happened, she broke into your apartment, that's enough for anyone to get angry"

"Its no excuse Alfred, I love her, everything I have done from there had been a mistake, but know there's nothing I can do, i've ruined so much, she'll never forgive me for the other things"

"What other things sir?"

Dick begins to bite his cheek, he needs to tell someone because the guilt is killing him inside, but he fears that if he tells Alfred that he will loose all respect he has ever had for him, even after everything that happened between him and Bruce, Alfred was still there, but he fears that this will be too much disappointment in him for him to forgive

"Barbara, before she left said that I was going to end up a bitter lonely man like Bruce, but I knew I wouldn't, there was someone I knew who would be there and I went to her to prove to Barbara that she was wrong, I used her, I knew how she felt about me and I took advantage of that, I still cant believe I did it, I have never done this before and I though I never would but I was just so angry, I don't know what I was thinking"

"This girl, would I know her?"

"Yes… its Huntress" Dick whispered out

"Oh my" Was all Alfred could say, he knew a lot about Huntress, most were not good, she isn't an bad person by any standard but Batman still was dissatisfied by her form of revenge and fired her from the team when she refused to abide by his rules. It was until recently that Batman again accepted to work with her and that was only because of necessity and he realised was effects this will encounter once Batman finds out, which obviously he will.

"I can't believe what I was doing with her, I knew it wasn't right, but I had to, I knew Bruce would disapprove but that made me want to do it all the more, God Alfred when Barbara was fighting for her life I was with Huntress again when I should have been there for Barbara, I ended it with her this morning but that was only because I found out that she pretended to be Batgirl, I thought she was trying to take Barbara's place in every aspect of my life, friend, lover, partner, everything and that's why I can't bare to see Barbara, because I feel so guilty"

"What people do when they are dealing with shock, grief any emotion varies from each person, no one deals with it in the same way, you were confused and weak, I understand"

"Will you forgive me?" Dicks quivering voice asks

"There is nothing for me to forgive you for, what you have done is in the past and like you said there is nothing more you can do about that now, what you need to find is forgiveness in yourself" Alfred moves to Dick and rests a comforting hand on his shoulder. He is surprised by Dick confession, not one that he thought he was going to hear, but from the time Huntress arrived in Gotham, he noticed that she was attracted to Nightwing, something he was unaware to but Batman knew and so ensured that whist she was under his orders every mission Huntress went on, she was in no communication with Nightwing as he would have greatly disapproved of their relationship, which is why he is deeply anxious about the reaction he will get from both Batman and Barbara.

"Now do you see why I can't go?" Dick finally speaks

"I understand sir that it will be tough on you Sir, but I still feel that the guilt will be worst when you miss the opportunity to go visit her, show that maybe you haven't been there for her recently, but your there when she needs you the most"

"I can't face her, to see her lying there and it being my fault"

"It wasn't your fault Sir, Joker was too quick and she startle you, I know sir, not even Batman could have prevented it"

"No I mean, maybe if I didn't shout at her we would have been together now or if I didn't shout at Bruce and left she might not have been there"

"Master Richard you will make yourself ill if you keep thinking like this, there is nothing more you can do about it, do you understand, no one blames you but yourself, you are your own worst enemy and no one can save you from that except for you"

"Your right Alfred, I need time" Dick stands and walks out of the room

"Where are you going?" Alfred's follows behind him but he is interrupted by the ringing of the phone, Alfred hesitates on whether to follow Dick or answer the phone but knowing it would be Bruce he regretfully answers

"Wayne Manor… yes Sir, yes I will be there in a moment" Alfred hangs up the phone and sighs as he walks into Dicks room and notices that the Nightwing suit and other important belongings have gone along with Dick himself "I hope you work things out Master Richard".


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty- Three

By the time Dick had reached his destination after taking the longest route, it was gone three in the morning, which Dick felt was one of the best times of the night to become Nightwing if he wanted to do undercover work such as this, he quickly changes from his civilian clothes into his vigilante costume and began to work his way up the building effortlessly. It didn't take him long to locate where he wanted to head and stop on the nearest convenient ledge where he could wait.. He stood there and peered in through the opened blinds using his specially adapted lenses in his mask, everything was a still as it could be and the overwhelming feeling hit him hard in the stomach when he looked closer, there lying motionless was Barbara, seemingly peaceful as she slept in her hospital bed.

"I'm sorry" He whispers "I know you cant hear me but that's probably for the best, after everything I have done to you, you probably wouldn't want to listen anyway. But I have to tell you because I honestly feel I am going to loose it completely, I cant control what I'm thinking or doing and I haven't been able to do that since I left Gotham, I just haven't admitted it to myself.

The past year I have been to hell and back, everyday I thought about you and wished you were with me and regretted ever leaving you behind, I kept thinking to myself how stupid I was and that if only you had given me another chance I would never mess it up… and then you came and I was so happy to see you, but then I don't know, its just like a blur overpowers me and I can see what I'm doing but I cant control it, I'm sorry for shouting at you then, I'm sorry for when I ever shouted at you. When you left I hated myself, if only I admitted I was wrong but know I wanted to prove to you and myself that I was right, I never want to be like Bruce but I know I'm a lot more like him than I know or wanted to be, its not all that bad I know there's nothing I can do about it, its just who I am now. But the thing that scares me the most is that I will end up in just like him, in that Manor alone so when I realized that that's what you thought I would end up like, I panicked so I went out, I knew why I went out, part of me knew that I shouldn't have but I did and I met Huntress and, and it just happened, I ended up sleeping with her Barbara, I'm sorry, the next day I felt so guilty but I thought that you would never want me again and that Huntress would be my only chance of happiness, she's not a bad person and we clicked you know, not like me and you but something is there as much as I detest it and unfortunately it still is, I hoped that by me being with her I could forget about you, I know that seems selfish of me but I had to do something and she was there for me, I was with her every night until you got shot, and even that night. I didn't plan it, I was never going to do it again because I realized how important you are to me and that I would rather be alone than to have someone that wasn't you. But I was distraught and she came and, I don't know I guess I felt alone again, I know it sounds a lame excuse but its true, I hope you understand, but then this morning I found your Batgirl costume at her apartment, she had a auburn wig as well and I lost it again, I though she was trying to replace you, she swore to me she wasn't and begged me to stay but I left her as well, I ruined her life and yours and I'm worried what else can possibly happen to anyone else I have cared about. I know that your going to be alright Babs but if you wasn't I don't think I could have gone on, in some ways I hoped that Joker had got away just so I could find him myself and get appropriate justice for someone like him, I've never thought about ever doing it before and it disgust me to even think I thought about it, but I wanted to kill him which is why I'm relieved that he's locked away so I cant get to him. You know Batman almost killed him, I was holding you in my arms at first I relished watching Batman hitting him but then I stopped him, I think he thinks I stopped him because he was wrong to kill him and it wasn't the way we did things, but truthfully it was because I didn't want anyone else to kill him other than me, I know it was wrong to have thought that now but when I saw you, the look on your face, it will haunt me for the rest of my life and the feeling I had when I though I was going to loose you will be with me always, just like my feelings for you and I hope that in time you will come to understand why I couldn't come to see you face to face, its just everything just still too fresh, and I was scared to come, I was scared of what I would see, something that was out of my hands that I couldn't control or fight and I was scared of that and so I ran., like the coward I am. I'm going to need time Babs, selfish I know but I need it, but no matter how long I'm gone I will always love you no matter what"

Nightwing removed his mask to wipe his eyes before re-applying it and readying to leave

"I will come here every night until you get better… okay, that's a promise"

"Nightwing" An un-welcomed voice meets him from the ledge

"You! What are you doing here?" Nightwing jumps in suprisement, his now weak legs beginning to shake

"We need to talk" The methodical voice echoes through the night, just deep and low enough for only Nightwing to hear

"Wait…. How long have you been here?" Nightwing angry voice interrogates the darkened figure

"Nightwing I haven't come here to argue" The larger man sighs as he stares at the weakened man before him

Nightwing was glad in some respects that he was here, he needed someone, someone who was together, which Dick found strange finding it in Bruce.

But never the less as much as he despises the thought, he needs both Batman and Bruce in his life, in the same way Bruce needs him and people like Alfred and Gordon around even if he will never admit it to himself.

Dick remembered the first time he met Bruce at the circus, the night his parents died… he felt so alone and guilty for the accident, the same feelings came flooding back when he held Barbara's still body in his arms, he needed someone, like he did back then and there he was, silently standing there, giving a young Dick protection and comfort. Dick realised how much he missed that feeling and how much he was craving it now.

It was then Nightwing admitted that it was time to let his guard down to Bruce as he slowly released his tight fisted hands and allowed them to hang against his sides, it was also then when he began to admit to himself how badly everything had hit him he felt instantly exhausted, both mentally and physically, he finally gave up to the exhaustion and collapsed. Batman noticed the sudden drain of colour from his protégés face as Nightwing's legs began to give from under him, he quickly moved to him and caught him in his arms before he fell.

"I've got you son" He deep voice echoed, but even in his state, Dick could still hear the faint level of concern at the back of Bruce's throat.

"I'm sorry" The weak voice trails off as he closes his eyes and the blackness once again engulfed him.

Batman steadied himself so that he could carry his heavily built protégé before glancing into the partially opened window and was relieved to see Barbara undisturbed sleeping in her hospital bed before he moved of the ledge into the darkness of the night.

Barbara slept seemingly peaceful as she slept in her hospital bed as Batman thought, all would seem normal if it wasn't for the flowing tears that glistened in the moonlight flooding through the opened window, allowing her to get the much needed fresh air from the polluted skyline of Gotham, which was much more appealing to her than the stench of the hospital that she was already getting sick of.

She had prepared herself that someone would come visit her this evening, allowing her to get the necessary sleep in the day, therefore allowing her to stay awake in the night, although sleep would be very unlikely with the hourly checkups by the night shifts, who were seemingly unaware that patients may be trying to sleep as they walked around talking and laughing to their colleagues although it was the middle of the day not the night, so Barbara was acting to be asleep just as much to them as she was for her night time visit.

She had waited half the night hoping that Nightwing would come, she wanted to explain everything about how sorry she was and that everything would be alright, but everything she had recited to say to him had all been forgotten as she now sobbed into her hands as she realised that nothing in her life was ever going to be the same as it was.

The End


End file.
